Boeing 737 Max jets could be grounded into November: report
American Airlines will extend cancellations of about 115 daily flights for a fourth time amid the continual grounding of the Boeing 737 Max model, according to Reuters.
The extension will push the cancellation period into early November and was expected following the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) announcement in July that it had discovered a new flaw in the jet that Boeing believes will take until at least September to remedy. The FAA must reapprove the jets for flight following two deadly crashes.
{mosads}“American Airlines remains confident that impending software updates to the Boeing 737 MAX, along with the new training elements Boeing is developing in coordination with our union partners, will lead to recertification of the aircraft this year,” the airline said in a statement on Sunday, according to Reuters.
Before the announcement, American had planned to keep the Max off of its schedule through Sept. 3, according to Reuters. The airline is the second-largest operator of the Max in the U.S., using it predominantly on flights between New York City’s LaGuardia Airport and Miami.
The need to substitute other planes for its busiest flights has forced the airline to suspend or cancel other flights, such as direct flights between Oakland, Calif., and Dallas-Fort Worth, according to the news service.
Meanwhile, Southwest Airlines, the world’s largest Max operator, has removed the aircraft from its schedule through Oct. 1, while United Airlines has removed it through Nov. 3, according to Reuters.
The Max groundings are projected to have cost the company about $350 million thus far despite claims from CEO Doug Parker in June 12 that it was “highly likely” the planes would return to the air by mid-August.
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