Trials Near for Boeing 737 MAX Fix
June 17 2019 - 04:27AM
Dow Jones News
By WSJ City
The Federal Aviation Administration has signalled it is
preparing to start flight trials of Boeing's proposed 737 MAX
safety enhancement as early as this week, according to people
familiar with the details, while the plane maker's chief executive
vowed to restore public confidence in the jet.
KEY FACTS
-- CEO Dennis Muilenburg said he was disappointed in the communication
lapses surrounding the MAX.
-- A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll shows that 25% of US fliers said they
would try to avoid flying on a MAX.
-- Flight trials are a crucial step toward returning the MAX to the sky
after it was idled world-wide over safety concerns.
-- The start of FAA-run airborne testing could prepare for the MAX to
potentially return to US airspace late summer.
-- Boeing previously said it completed extensive flight tests of its own and
submitted the results to the FAA.
"We're going to bring a MAX back up in the air that will be one
of the safest airplanes ever to fly. But we also know it will take
time rebuilding the confidence of our customers and the flying
public, and this will be a long-term effort," said Muilenburg, on
the eve of the Paris Air Show.
Why This Matters
Boeing's effort to repair its reputational damage is taking on a
greater sense of urgency with the FAA preparing to take an
important step to return the MAX to service by late summer. Barring
last-minute snags, the agency may start flight testing the MAX as
early as this week to assess whether an upgrade developed by the US
plane maker fixes a flight-control system implicated in two fatal
crashes, according to people familiar with the planning. Another
person briefed on the matter said that timeline could slip.
A fuller story is available on WSJ.com
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 17, 2019 04:12 ET (08:12 GMT)
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