American to resume flying 737 Max in January, but FAA not yet aboard

American Airlines said Wednesday it expects federal officials to sign off on software updates and other changes to Boeing’s 737 Max jets later this year and that it plans to resume passenger service on the aircraft on Jan. 16.

“American Airlines anticipates that the impending software updates to the Boeing 737 Max will lead to recertification of the aircraft later this year and resumption of commercial service in January 2020,” the airline said in a statement. “We are in continuous contact with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Transportation (DOT).”

Despite American’s announcement, FAA officials maintained there is no timeline for returning the planes to service. The FAA said it has not given airlines a date for when the grounding will be lifted.

“The FAA is following a thorough process, not a prescribed timeline, for returning the Boeing 737 Maxto passenger service,” the agency said in an email. “The FAA is continuing to evaluate Boeing’s software modification and is still developing necessary training requirements.”

American’s date for resuming service with the Max would make it the last of the major carriers to resume flying the Max under dates that have been announced. Southwest Airlines, which has the most Max jets of any U.S. carrier, has removed the jets from its schedule until Jan. 5, while United Airlines has removed the Max from its schedule until Dec. 19.

American’s announcement comes nearly seven months after regulators around the world grounded the Max in the wake of two fatal crashes that killed 346 people. This month marks the anniversary of the Oct. 29 crash of a Lion Air flight that plunged into the Java Sea shortly after takeoff, killing all 189 passengers and crew aboard. A final report on that crash is expected later this year.

Less than five months later, a 737 Max flying under the Ethiopian Airlines banner went down shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport on March 10, killing all 157 passengers and crew. In both instances, preliminary investigations pointed to issues with an anti-stall system known as the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, which was designed to compensate for changes to the plane’s design.

American said that flights on the 737 Max will resume starting Jan. 16, and will gradually increase throughout January and into February. The airline noted that since the number of flights on 737 Max jets will slowly increase over the course of a month, there may be additional schedule changes.

American said it is working on accommodations for travelers who do not wish to travel on the 737 Max once it resumes flying.