American Airlines Plans To Fly 737 Max By End Of Year, Subject To FAA Approval

American Airlines said it plans to bring back the 737 Max aircraft to its fleet before the end of the year.

The resumption of flights on the beleaguered 737 Max would of course depend upon federal regulators' approval of the Boeing aircraft, which has been out of commission since two crashes killed 346 people in Ethiopia and Indonesia in late 2018 and early 2019.

Problems with a new flight control automation system that would lead pilots to lose control of the airplane was believed to be the cause of those catastrophes.

In March 2019, 737 Max jets were grounded worldwide.

On Monday, Sarah Jantz, an airline spokeswoman said American will operate a single daily flight on the 737 Max from Dec. 29 through Jan. 4 between Miami and New York’s LaGuardia Airport. American also said it will start taking reservations for the flights on Friday.

“We remain in contact with the [Federal Aviation Administration] and Boeing on the certification process, and we’ll continue to update our plans based on when the aircraft is certified,” Jantz said in a statement.

Since the grounding, Boeing has altered its software and computers to prevent future mishaps on the 737 Max. The FAA is currently reviewing progress of those redesign measures and conducting test flights – but it’s unclear when, or if, they will approve the aircraft for commercial service.

The FAA told Reuters they will recertify the 737 Max only after its safety experts “are satisfied that the aircraft meets certification standards.”

However, the FAA’s boss Steve Dickson recently piloted a 737 Max aircraft himself and said he was “comfortable” with it.

Earlier this week, the European Union’s top aviation regulator, European Union Aviation Safety Agency, determined that the 737 Max jet aircraft will be safe to fly before the end of the year.