Boeing Co. reportedly will conduct the recertification flight later this month as part of the process that will clear its 737 MAX aircraft to resume commercial service, after being grounded for nearly 15 months. Multiple reports citing Boeing sources indicate the flight (or series of flights) will be staged in late June. One report indicated Boeing has a flight plan that will demonstrate the 737 MAX's new flight-control software allows the jet to operate safely in different circumstances.
Neither Boeing nor the Federal Aviation Administration, which will oversee the recertification tests, has confirmed the reported schedule.
If the recertification is completed in June, and the FAA restores the 737 MAX flight certification, it would be possible for Boeing to meet its goal of returning the aircraft to service during Q3.
The 737 MAX is a twin-engine, narrow-body aircraft that Boeing introduced in 2017, but that has been idled worldwide since March 2019, following two crashes that killed a total of 346 passengers and crew members, in October 2018 and March 2019. Both crashes were attributed to defective flight-control software that prevented pilots from controlling the planes' acceleration.
Boeing has revised the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) and will roll out the new version to be installed in the already delivered aircraft.
More than 340 of the twin-engine jets are idled around the world, as carriers wait to incorporate the software revisions and some other design corrections identified during the course of the 737 MAX program revision. The FAA, European Air Safety Administration, and other agencies around the world will review the effectiveness of the revisions before clearing the 737 MAX to resume commercial service.
In addition to the software revision, Boeing is expected to inform customers of a necessary wiring repair prior to returning the grounded aircraft to service.
