Boeing shares have rallied after Federal Aviation Administrator Steve Dickson said international air safety regulators would likely agree on design fixes needed to return the 737 MAX to service.
“International regulators including EASA might differ in terms of the operational return to service of the plane, but “from everything that I have seen, I think we’ll have very solid alignment,” the FAA chief told an airline industry event in London reported Seeking Alpha.
“Dickson refrains from placing a timetable on the plane’s return but says a date would become easier to predict after its certification flight, which he says could come in the next few weeks, ” said Seeking Alpha.
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It reported that “Following Dickson’s remarks, Boeing said the software update to address an indicator light issue on the 737 MAX” will not impact the present mid-2020 estimate for return to service.”
In January Boeing announced that the MAX would not return to the skies until mid-2020.
Boeing reiterated that the decision about lifting the grounding would be made by the US Federal Aviation Administration and other regulators.
“However, in order to help our customers and suppliers plan their operations, we periodically provide them with our best estimate of when regulators will begin to authorize the ungrounding of the 737 MAX,’’ the planemaker said in a statement.
At last months earnings call new Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun reiterated his full support for the MAX.
Mr Calhoun said that “it’s a very challenging moment for Boeing. We got a lot of work to do. But I’m confident that we’ll manage this situation in the right way, and I’m optimistic about the company’s future, both in terms of the markets that we serve and maybe, more importantly, the engineering and technical capabilities we bring.”
He added at the time: “Let me just say to the families and the loved ones of those who perished in the Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 accidents, we — I am truly and deeply sorry for your loss. I will repeat this many, many times in the years ahead. Their memories will drive me personally to do everything I can to make our airplanes and our industry safer, and I know I speak for all of my Boeing associates accordingly.”
