FAA chief says Boeing 737 Max recertification process to stretch into 2020

Dec. 11, 2019
Dickson’s forecast upends Boeing’s guidance that regulators would re-approve the plane before the end of the year, report Leslie Josephs and Elly Cosgrove for CNBC.

WASHINGTON - U.S. aviation regulators won’t likely clear Boeing’s troubled 737 Max airplanes for flight until 2020, Federal Aviation Administration chief Steve Dickson told CNBC on Wednesday, report Leslie Josephs and Elly Cosgrove for CNBC. Continue reading original article

The Intelligent Aerospace take:

December 11, 2019 -Boeing and the FAA have independently said that the Max line will return to the skies when it is safe to do so, but the aerospace giant said it was targeting "FAA certification of the MAX flight control software updates during this quarter," Boeing wrote in a November 11 release. "Based on this schedule, it is possible that the resumption of MAX deliveries to airline customers could begin in December, after certification, when the FAA issues an Airworthiness Directive rescinding the grounding order. In parallel, we are working towards final validation of the updated training requirements, which must occur before the MAX returns to commercial service, and which we now expect to begin in January."

Now a month later, FAA head Steve Dickson told CNBC that the process will be pushed into the coming year.

“Like I said there are a number of processes, milestones, that have to be completed,” Dickson said in an interview on CNBC’s Squawk Box. “If you just do the math, it’s going to extend into 2020.”

Related: U.S. might approve the 737 MAX to fly — but will the world follow?

Related: In brutal Senate hearing, Boeing admits its safety assessments of 737 Max fell short

Related: Damning report faults Boeing and F.A.A. on 737 Max certification

Jamie Whitney, Associate Editor
Intelligent Aerospace

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