Boeing’s 737 Max takes off on first certification flight

Pilots flew Boeing’s 737 Max across Washington state in the first of several flights required for regulatory certification, an important milestone in returning the plane to service. The Chicago company’s stock gained 14.4% to $194.49 on Monday. US airline stocks also rose, with Southwest increasing the most, by 9.6% to $35.04. The airline has an all-Boeing fleet, including 34 Maxes that are grounded. Aviation regulators worldwide grounded the Max 15 months ago following the second of two crashes that killed a combined 346 people. The plane’s flight-control system has been implicated in the crashes. The US FAA said it was conducting a series of flights this week to gauge Boeing’s proposed changes to the flight-control system. The jet left Boeing Field in Seattle at 9:55am Pacific time, headed to Moses Lake, Washington. “While the certification flights are an important milestone, a number of key tasks remain,” the agency said. “The FAA is following a deliberate process and will take the time it needs to thoroughly review Boeing’s work. We will lift the grounding order only after we are satisfied that the aircraft meets certification standards.” The federal agency said the flights, steered by pilots from both the FAA and Boeing, would take three days and cover “a wide array of flight manoeuvres and emergency procedures”.<br/>