Boeing Expects 737 Max To Return To Service In Mid-2020

(RTTNews) - Boeing Co. (BA) Tuesday said it expects its grounded 737 Max jets to return to service in mid-2020.

"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," the company said in a statement.

That timeline "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 systems and future pilot training requirements, the company added.

Boeing has been negatively impacted by the two crashes related to the 737 Max, its best-selling aircraft.

The aircraft were grounded by airlines worldwide in March last year following two deadly crashes within a short span of five months that killed a total of 346 people.

An Ethiopian Airlines aircraft crashed on the outskirts of Ethiopia's capital city Addis Ababa in March, killing all 157 people on board. It was the 737 Max's second accident in five months after 189 people were killed on a Lion Air flight in Indonesia in October last year.

The company had initially expected the ungrounding of its best-selling aircraft to take only a few weeks, however, it has stretched for months on end, with the company announcing a 737 Max production halt in December.