Boeing has just announced to its customers and suppliers that the 737 MAX would not return to service before mid-2020. This postpones both return to service and deliveries of aircraft stored for the fall.
Boeing officially announces that the green light for the return of the 737 MAX is estimated after mid-2020. “This updated estimate is informed by our experience to date with the certification process”, specifies Boeing. This announcement means that the return to commercial service of the grounded Boeing 737 MAX aircraft — approximately 800 planes, including 400 parked in different locations in the United States — will not happen before the fall. Indeed, the 737 MAX aircraft will also have to go through a reconditioning after months of grounding. Not to mention that the FAA green light will not be automatically followed by other civil aviation authorities around the world. This new schedule, which is not exempt from future postponements, means that the resumption of production of the Boeing 737 MAX will not take place before the begin of 2021 — Boeing having repeatedly stressed that the return to commercial service of 737 MAXs already delivered to airlines and those parked was its priority. The engine manufacturer CFM International and the entire chain of suppliers of the 737 MAX family are therefore forced to wait many months before being able to relaunch their deliveries of aerostructures and systems.