Boeing exec says planemaker has settled on design for MAX 7 icing issue

Boeing's commercial airplane chief said the planemaker has settled on the design to address an engine anti-ice system that has significantly delayed certification of the 737 MAX 7 and suggested a fix could be completed by next year. The issue with the anti-ice system could lead to it overheating and potentially causing an engine failure. "We're progressing on the engineering," Stephanie Pope said in a meeting with reporters. Asked if the planemaker will conduct a flight test later this year and complete the fix around early to mid-2025, Pope did not offer a formal prediction but said she thought it would be around that time.<br/>Boeing, under scrutiny over its safety record after the mid-air blowout of a cabin panel on a new Alaska Airlines MAX 9, in January withdrew a request it filed with the FAA last year seeking an exemption from a safety standard for the MAX 7 over the issue, which pushed potential certification into 2025 or later. Senator Tammy Duckworth in January urged Boeing to abandon the exemption request, saying the issue could "cause the engine nacelle to break apart and fall off. This could generate fuselage-penetrating debris, which could endanger passengers in window seats behind the wing." The FAA, which has repeatedly declined to put any timetable on approval, has said it "will thoroughly review any design Boeing submits."<br/>