FAA says it again: Boeing's 737 MAX not ready for certification

[malaise]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/faa-says-it-again-boeings-737-max-not-ready-for-certification/ar-BBXnLAK?ocid=spartanntp
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For the third time in two weeks, the FAA said publicly it will take all the time it needs to deem the Max is safe.
CNBC has asked Boeing if it sticks by its guidance of the 737 Max potentially returning to commercial service by the end of January. The company says it has not changed its outlook.

With just 35 days left in 2019, the FAA is making it increasingly clear it is unlikely to re-certify the Boeing 737 Max this year, a target Boeing has been targeting for months.


For the third time in two weeks, the FAA said publicly it will take all the time it needs to deem the Max is safe. The FAA issued a new statement saying, "The FAA has not completed its review of the 737 Max aircraft design changes and associated pilot training. The agency will not approve the aircraft for return to service until it has completed numerous rounds of rigorous testing."

CNBC has asked Boeing if it sticks by its guidance of the 737 Max potentially returning to commercial service by the end of January. The company says it has not changed its outlook.

This is the latest move by the FAA to publicly push back on Boeing's belief Max deliveries could resume soon. In its most recent 737 Max progress report issued on Nov. 11, Boeing said, "it is possible that the resumption of Max deliveries to airline customers could begin in December, after certification, when the FAA issues an Airworthiness Directive rescinding the grounding order."

Boeing's suggestion the Max is close to returning did not sit well with the FAA and Administrator Steve Dickson. Four days after Boeing's statement, Dickson released an internal letter he sent to the FAA's associate administrator who oversees the MAX certification process. "The FAA fully controls the approval process," Dickson wrote.