US regulator, Boeing complete 737 MAX certification test flights

The FAA and Boeing have completed certification test flights on the 737 MAX, a key milestone toward the plane’s return to service, the US regulator said Wednesday. The FAA said it must still evaluate data from the three days of testing and has other tasks to complete. “The agency is following a deliberate process and will take the time it needs to thoroughly review Boeing’s work,” the FAA said. “We will lift the grounding order only after FAA safety experts are satisfied that the aircraft meets certification standards.” Boeing declined to comment, saying it would defer to the FAA statement. The tests of Boeing’s proposed changes to the automated flight control system on the aircraft are a pivotal moment in the company’s worst-ever corporate crisis. The FAA must complete the data review, approve new pilot training procedures, among other steps, and is unlikely to approve the plane’s ungrounding until mid-September. If that happens, the jet is on a path to resume US service before year-end, in a process plagued by delays. The crisis has cost Boeing more than $18b, slashed production and hobbled its supply chain, with criminal and congressional investigations still ongoing. <br/>