Boeing yesterday announced it is grounding its troubled 737 Max aircraft till at least the middle of 2020, a delay from the earlier set date of January 2020.
The latest development translates to the fact that the 737 Max will have been grounded for at least a year, regardless of when it returns to flight.
The company made this known in a press release on its website.
The press release reads, “We are informing our customers and suppliers that we are currently estimating that the ungrounding of the 737 MAX will begin during mid-2020. This updated estimate is informed by our experience to date with the certification process. It is subject to our ongoing attempts to address known schedule risks and further developments that may arise in connection with the certification process. It also accounts for the rigorous scrutiny that regulatory authorities are rightly applying at every step of their review of the 737 MAX’s flight control system and the Joint Operations Evaluation Board process which determines pilot training requirements.
“Returning the MAX safely to service is our number one priority, and we are confident that will happen. 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. We will provide additional information about our efforts to safely return the 737 MAX to service in connection with our quarterly financial disclosures next week.”
Boeing and its 737 Max airplane, its bestselling model to date, have been caught in a constant state of crisis for nearly a year since the model was grounded following two fatal crashes that resulted in the deaths of 346 people.
The company has continued to make 737 Max airplanes after its grounding in March 2018 but announced last year in December that it will indefinitely stop 737 Max production in its Washington manufacturing plant. However, just this week Boeing announced it had already stopped production.
