Boeing 737 Max will not fly till August

aircraft taxiing in — Image source: Business Today

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in its statement on Wednesday (May 29) that it expects it could be until August before the Boeing Co 737 MAX could be returned to service, according to the head of the airline group, though the airline head also informed that the final say on the timing rests with the regulators.

Airline members themselves have expressed they wanted regulators to cooperate closely on the decision for the plane’s re-entry to service at an IATA meeting in Montreal last week, according to IATA Director General Alexandre de Juniac.

IATA had decided to organize a summit with airlines, regulators as well as manufacturer in five to seven weeks to discuss the necessary steps in order to make the return of 737 MAX possible.

The 737 MAX was grounded globally in March after two back to back crashes one with the Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air killed all numerous people on board. While the Lion Air crash happened last October, the Ethiopian Airlines crash took place five months from the incident.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) sees it as possible to approve the jet’s return to service sometime in late June, representatives of the US air regulator has already informed members of the United Nations’ aviation agency in a private briefing last week, as per media reports.

US operators United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and American Airlines have removed the planes from their flight schedules until early to mid-August.