American Airlines Pushes 737 MAX Cancellations Through December 3

American Airlines Pushes 737 MAX Cancellations Through December 3

MIAMI — Dallas/Ft. Worth-based American Airlines (AA) has pushed, once again, all its Boeing 737 MAX scheduled flights through December 3.

According to the carrier, more than 140 daily flights are being canceled because of the plane’s extended grounding. As of today, AA has 24 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft grounded, affecting its overall capacity by more than 4,100 daily seats.

By July, American Airlines had estimated that more than $185 million had been lost because of the ongoing crisis with the aircraft’s worldwide grounding.

American Airlines 737 MAX PHOTO: Eric Dunetz

The airline released a statement yesterday noting that it “remains confident that impending software updates to the Boeing 737 MAX, along with the new training elements Boeing is developing in coordination with our union partners, will lead to recertification of the aircraft this year.”

The airline also explained that itis “in continuous contact with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of Transportation (DOT), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and other regulatory authorities.”

In August, the new FAA Chief, Stephen Dickson, said that the organization is not following any timeline to return the Boeing 737 MAX into service.

“This plane will not fly in commercial service again until I’m completely assured that it is safe to do so,” he said during a swearing-in ceremony in Washington, DC. 

The Boeing 737 MAX crisis deepens as the new head of the FAA confirms that there is no timeline for the ill-fated aircraft to return to service. A total of 387 aircraft belonging to 43 airlines have remained grounded since early March.

Photo: Chuyi Chuang

However, the airplane manufacturer has said that it is “preparing to increase staffing and hire a few hundred additional temporary employees at Moses Lake, WA to assist and support 737 MAX storage and pre-delivery.”

It is likely that the aircraft is being readied for a return into service program by Boeing.

“We will submit our final certification package to the FAA once we have satisfied all of their requirements, which we currently estimate will occur on a timeframe to support an early fourth-quarter return to service,” Boeing explained.

“Our current plan calls for all airplanes stored outside Puget Sound to return to Seattle and Everett for delivery.”

“It is the FAA and other global aviation regulators that will determine when the 737 MAX returns to service, and we are working tirelessly to meet their requirements,” added Boeing. 

Editor-in-Chief
Commercial Pilot, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Aviation MBA, Globetrotter, AS Roma fan, and in my free time, I fly the Airways Ship.

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