Boeing 737 Max won’t be recertified until 2020: US aviation chief

The top US air transport regulator on Wednesday doused Boeing’s hopes that its 737 Max will return to the skies this year, but the agency’s chief still faces tough questions over its response to two deadly crashes.

In an interview just ahead of an expected grilling in the US Congress, Federal Aviation Administration chief Steve Dickson told CNBC the aircraft will not be cleared to fly before 2020.

The process for approving the Max’s return to the skies still has 10 or 11 milestones left to complete, including a certification flight and a public comment period on pilot training requirements, he said.

“If you just do the math, it’s going to extend into 2020,” he said.

Tesla’s German factory to produce 500,000 cars a year,

Tesla Inc aims to produce as many as 500,000 of its Model 3 and Model Y electric cars annually at its planned factory close to Berlin, Bild Zeitung reported.

The carmaker will employ about 10,000 people at the site, which will occupy an area equivalent to 420 football fields, the newspaper said, citing initial plans for the factory, which shows a complete production line as well as testing facilities. Construction is set to start next year.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk wants Germany to sweep away its notorious red tape to speed construction of the facility, avoiding the bureaucracy that’s held up building Berlin’s new airport. Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said this week that he will try to ease regulatory hurdles that may snag construction. ‘There’s a lot at stake’ in Tesla’s plan, he said.