American Airlines on Sunday said it will commit to using the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft as early as December if the beleaguered plane is re-certified by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The stunning announcement, first reported by Reuters News Service, should be a big boost to Boeing, which has struggled for the last 18 months since the 737 MAX was grounded in March of 2019 following two separate crashes that killed 346 passengers and crew.
The airline said it will operate a daily 737 Max flight between Miami and New York from Dec. 29 to Jan. 4, with flights available for booking starting Oct. 24.
"We remain in contact with the FAA and Boeing on the certification process and we'll continue to update our plans based on when the aircraft is certified," American said in a statement.
Reuters noted that the FAA also released a statement on Sunday saying it is not bound to a timeline for re-certification and "will lift the grounding order only after FAA safety experts are satisfied that the aircraft meets certification standards."
The troubled 737 MAX is closer than ever to being approved for flight. Last week, European Union Aviation Safety Agency Executive Director Patrick Ky said he's satisfied with the steps that Boeing has taken to make the plane safe. But even after the approval to fly again, the agency will still require Boeing to make an additional software upgrade for an extra layer of redundancy. That could take another two years to complete, he said, tempering some of the optimism.
American Airlines said it will make customers aware that they are flying on a 737 MAX and certainly allow for any flight changes.
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