Boeing says 737 Max won’t be cleared to fly until mid-2020
Boeing has warned airline customers that it doesn’t expect to get clearance for the return of the 737 Max until the middle of the year at least.
It is months later than it had anticipated, although the FAA maintains it has set ‘no timeframe’ for granting approval.
"We continue to work with other safety regulators to review Boeing’s work as the company conducts the required safety assessments and addresses all issues that arise during testing," the agency said.
It comes as the plane maker formally halts production of the aircraft for a temporary period due to the long delayed re-certification.
With a backlog of finished planes waiting to be delivered, it may not restart production until the end of the year.
That will severely impact Boeing suppliers, with analysts saying some of the smaller contractors may not be able to survive a six-month shutdown with no work.
"We acknowledge and regret the continued difficulties that the grounding of the 737 Max has presented to our customers, our regulators, our suppliers, and the flying public," Boeing said in a statement.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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