Boeing’s 737 Max unlikely to resume service until August, Iata says

Decision is in ‘hands of regulators’, says chief of aviation industry’s trade body

Boeing’s 737 Max is unlikely to return to commercial service until August in the wake of two deadly crashes, according to the head of the industry’s trade body.

The company’s bestselling aircraft has been grounded by regulators since March after a second fatal crash in Ethiopia and is unlikely to resume flights until at least 10 to 12 weeks from now, according to Alexandre de Juniac, the chief executive of the International Air Transport Association.

“We are preparing a meeting between regulators, the aircraft manufacturer and the operators to make an assessment of the situation,” Mr de Juniac told reporters ahead of Iata’s annual meeting in Seoul on Wednesday.

“But it is not in our hands. It’s in the hands of regulators,” he added.

His assessment echoes that of US airlines that have said they do not expect the Max to return to commercial service until August. Speaking after a meeting of global safety regulators on Thursday, the head of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) refused to commit to a firm timetable for a resumption of service.

Daniel Elwell, acting administrator of the FAA, reiterated the

agency did not have a timetable but indicated separately that airlines that had taken the grounded aircraft out of their schedules until August did not need to extend those flight cancellations. Both Europe’s and Canada’s aviation safety agencies have said they will conduct their own review of Boeing’s proposed changes to the Max before allowing it back into the sky.

The US company has been working on a software fix to the flight-control system implicated in both crashes but has not yet submitted it formally to the FAA. Airlines, while regulators and Boeing will meet in five to seven weeks to try and set a common timeline on when the Max could return to service, Mr de Juniac added.

Separately, Mr de Juniac said the past six months had been “tough” for airlines.

“Global trade has weakened, trade wars are intensifying and fuel prices have risen significantly,” he said.

Despite that, however, demand has been holding up with 4.3 per cent year-on-year passenger growth recorded in April. The air cargo market, however, is suffering on the back of global trade tensions. Air freight markets declined 4.7 per cent in April compared with a year ago.