Page 3 - AT

A3
U.S. NEWS Tuesday 3 sepTember 2019

United removes Boeing Max from schedule until mid-December

By DAVID KOENIG to quickly replace the miss-
AP Airlines Writer ing planes, so they are cut-
United Airlines is again de- ting back on growth — or
laying the expected return in the case of Southwest,
date for its grounded Boe- actually shrinking.
ing 737 Max jets. Boeing is working to fix
The airline said Friday that it flight-control software im-
has removed the Max from plicated in crashes off the
its schedule until Dec. 19, coast of Indonesia and in
six weeks longer than previ- Ethiopia and solve another
ously planned. problem that Federal Avia-
United owns 14 Max jets, tion Administration test pi-
which have been ground- lots discovered in June.
ed since March after the The company has shown its
second of two accidents changes to FAA over the
that together killed 346 past several months and
people. expects to formally submit
Taking the Max out of the a recertification package
schedule reduces United’s in September. CEO Dennis
risk of alienating customers Muilenburg predicted last This Tuesday, May 17, 2011, file photo shows the United Airlines logo on a rope line at O’Hare
International Airport. On Friday, Aug. 30, 2019, United said it is again delaying the expected return
by canceling flights close month that the plane will date for its grounded Boeing 737 Max jets, until Dec. 19, six weeks longer than previously planned.
to departure if the plane return to service early in the Associated Press
does not return to service fourth quarter.
as quickly as Boeing hopes. Boeing’s 737 assembly thorities including those of chairman of the U.S. Na- from FAA’s decision about
United’s announcement plant near Seattle is still run- Europe, China and Cana- tional Transportation Safety when the Max is safe to fly
means it could be flying ning but at a slower rate, da, and is led by a former Board. Its review is separate again.q
the Max during the week and completed jets are
before Christmas — a pe- going into storage. A Boe-
riod when heavy travel ing spokesman said Friday
and bad weather can snarl that the company believes
airline operations. By con- it can gradually increase
trast, Southwest Airlines is 737 production from 42 a
delaying its earliest possible month now to 57 a month
use of the plane until early next year.
January. Separately, the FAA said
Robert Mann, an aviation Friday that a committee of
consultant and former air- international aviation ex-
line executive, said United’s perts will need more time
timing is possible if comput- to complete its review of
er-based training for pilots how the agency certifies
and some “confidence- planes. Contact info: NEW!
inspiring” demonstration The group faced a dead- Coral Shell Sales office
flights can be wrapped up line Friday, but FAA said it Email: marisabeldaboin@hotmail.com
in November. now expects to wrap up “in deluxerealestatenv@gmail.com
Tel Aruba : +297 594 6745
With each passing month, the coming weeks.” Tel Vnzl. : +58 412 3277132
the loss of the Max results in The panel is looking into
more flights being dropped FAA’s original approval
from United’s schedule — of the Max and its use of
from 70 a day in Septem- designated employees at
ber to 96 a day for most of aircraft manufacturers like
December — because it’s Boeing to evaluate some
not getting any new deliv- aircraft parts. Some law-
eries either. makers and safety advo-
United expected to have cates have criticized that
27 Max jets by the end of approach and questioned
September and 30 by the whether FAA understood
end of the year. The Chica- software that was new on
go-based carrier has nearly the Max.
800 planes in its fleet. The panel’s members rep-
Airlines haven’t been able resent nine aviation au-