Problems pile up for Boeing as 737 Max delays continue

The return of Boeing’s 737 Max appears to be slipping. Again. The plane has been grounded since March after two deadly crashes that killed 346 people. It has disrupted the global aviation industry and plunged Boeing into the biggest crisis the aerospace giant has ever faced. Yet today, after more than eight months of intensive work by Boeing and aviation regulators, the timing of the return of the 737 Max appears more precarious than ever. While Boeing has said publicly that it expects the FAA to begin the process of ungrounding the plane this year, that now appears unlikely, according to a government official familiar with the process. Instead, it is increasingly likely that the grounding will continue into 2020, given the series of tests Boeing must complete before the regulator clears the plane to fly. FAA officials believe that it could take until late January for the agency to lift the grounding and approve training requirements for pilots. It would then take weeks for airlines to prepare Max jets to operate commercial routes. Meanwhile, Congress, following a hearing last month where it grilled Boeing’s CE Dennis A. Muilenburg is planning to hold a hearing next month at which it expects FAA officials to testify about whether there are other problems with the Max that Boeing hasn’t yet addressed. The nagging uncertainty over the plane’s future has cast a pall over Boeing, the largest manufacturing exporter in the United States, and has shaved 15% off the company’s value since March. “It’s becoming increasingly clear that they’re not going to get it sorted out this year,” said Scott Hamilton, managing director of the Leeham Company, an aviation consultancy. “I would be completely flabbergasted if the airplane does not get recertified, but I’ve been flabbergasted on more than one occasion.” Story has more background and analysis.<br/>