CHICAGO - Friction between Boeing Co. and international air-safety authorities threatens a new delay in bringing the grounded 737 MAX fleet back into service, according to government and pilot union officials briefed on the matter. The latest complication in the long-running saga, these officials said, stems from a Boeing briefing in August that was cut short by regulators from the U.S., Europe, Brazil and elsewhere, who complained that the plane maker had failed to provide technical details and answer specific questions about modifications in the operation of MAX flight-control computers, write By Andy Pasztor and Alison Sider for the Wall Street Journal. Continue reading original article
The Intelligent Aerospace take:
September 3, 2019-European industry insiders, according to Pasztor and Sider, believe that the MAX won't resume passenger service until January 2020 at the earliest. A Boeing spokesman, on the other hand, explained last month that the aerospace giant expected the MAX to fly again "...early in the fourth quarter." The pair of reporters did note, however, that some industry insiders predict the plane will return to the skies just ahead of Christmas. Likewise, US-based carriers have differing plans on the plane going forward. American Airlines has no MAX flights scheduled through Dec. 3, while United Airlines extended its grounding until December 19. Southwest, along with Air Canada, have no flights scheduled on MAX planes through the end of the year.
Related: Max 737 grounding sees global seat capacity drop by 41m
Related: GE's new billion-dollar problem? Boeing's MAX
Jamie Whitney, Associate Editor
Intelligent Aerospace
