US FAA says Boeing is pursuing ‘unrealistic’ schedule for 737 MAX

United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) chief Steve Dickson is concerned that the US planemaker Boeing Co is pursuing a return-to-service schedule for the grounded 737 MAX that is “not realistic”, according to an email seen by Reuters.

Dickson is scheduled to meet with Boeing Chief Executive Officer Dennis Muilenburg on Thursday to discuss the agency’s review of the plane that was grounded in March after two fatal crashes in five months. The meeting comes a month after Boeing asserted it expected the agency would allow it to begin deliveries again in December.

In a Thursday email to US Congress staff disclosing the meeting and seen by Reuters, FAA official Philip Newman said Dickson is “concerned that Boeing continues to pursue a return-to-service schedule that is not realistic due to delays that have accumulated for a variety of reasons. More concerning, the administrator wants to directly address the perception that some of Boeing’s public statements have been designed to force FAA into taking quicker action.”

Dickson will make clear, the email added, that “both the FAA and Boeing must take the time to get this process right”.

The plane was grounded in March after crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed 346 people.

On Wednesday, Dickson confirmed he would not unground the plane before the end of 2019. Boeing confirmed on Thursday that the meeting would take place, but did not elaborate.

Federal officials told Reuters earlier this week that the FAA is not expected to authorise the plane to fly until January at the earliest, citing significant work still to be done. Some US officials think it may not be until at least February that Dickson gives the green light. Dickson told CNBC on Wednesday that Boeing had nearly a dozen milestones to meet before the plane could return to service.

The three US carriers that operate the 737 MAX – Southwest Airlines Co, American Airlines Group Inc, and United Airlines Holdings Inc – are scheduling flights without the use of the aircraft until early March 2020.

Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly said on Thursday it is “likely” the airline will again need to push back the date.

Separately, Southwest Airlines Co said on Thursday it had reached a compensation agreement with Boeing Co for a portion of the projected financial damages related to the grounding of the 737 MAX aircraft.
The US airline said it would share the proceeds of about $125m from Boeing with its employees.

Boeing said in November it expected the FAA to certify the 737 MAX, issue an airworthiness directive, and unground the plane in mid-December, even as it acknowledged it would not win approval for changes to pilot training until January. Boeing declined to comment this week on that forecast, deferring to the FAA.