American Cancels More Boeing 737 MAX Flights (Updated)

Editorial Staff

Monday, April 15, 2019 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

American Airlines has extended its Boeing 737 MAX flight cancellations until August 19, impacting 115 daily flights, due to international scrutiny of software updates.
Other major U.S. carriers, Southwest and United, have also extended their MAX flight cancellations, though for earlier dates in August and July, respectively.
The extension reflects ongoing uncertainty as international aviation authorities plan to carefully review the jet's MCAS stability-augmentation software updates.
Despite Boeing completing test flights with the updated software, neither Boeing nor the FAA has indicated when the 737 MAX will be cleared for passenger service.

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American Airlines announced over the weekend that it was extending the cancellation of flights slated to use the Boeing 737 MAX until Aug. 19. This move follows reports that indicate more international aviation authorities around the world are planning to carefully scrutinize any updates to the jet’s MCAS stability-augmentation software before permitting revenue flights to resume.

American’s cancellations will affect 115 flights a day. Last week, Southwest, the operator with the largest 737 MAX fleet in the U.S., announced cancellations of flights through Aug. 5, while United has canceled flights on the MAX through June 5.Update: United has extended its cancellations to “early July.”

Doug Parker, American’s CEO, told employees on Sunday that “we remain confident that the impending software updates, along with the new training elements Boeing is developing for the MAX, will lead to recertification of the aircraft soon.”

As previously reported, Boeing has completed 96 flights adding up to about 156 hours with the updated software. Neither Boeing nor the FAA have indicated when the jet will be cleared to fly with paying passengers again.