Article from BTNews 17 JUNE 2019
MAX grounding continues
All 24 Boeing B737 MAX aircraft in the American Airlines fleet have been removed from flight schedules until at least 3 September, with the US carrier becoming the first to announce formally it would not operate the aircraft this summer.
The airline said it “remains confident” a forthcoming software update and new training efforts from Boeing will be enough to get the MAX recertified, but wanted to give passengers “time to plan their future travel”.
Boeing said last month it had completed a software update for the anti-stall system blamed for two B737 MAX accidents in five months and completed test flights but still needs to perform a certification flight as part of the FAA’s formal review process.
American Airlines said it expects to lose $350m as a result of the continued grounding of the MAX during what could be the busiest summer travel season so far in the US. It said it was having to cancel 115 flights a day.
The other two US carriers that fly the MAX, United and Southwest, have also announced the cancellation of thousands of flights at least until the end of August as the worldwide grounding of the MAX fleet continues.
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