Boeing 737 Max unlikely to return to service until 2020

Boeing has for several months targeted a late 2019 or early 2020 return for the Max pending a software update for a deep-seated flight control system, thought to have been responsible for the two crashes, and new training and simulator resources for pilots.

Dickson, though, said there were several “milestones” left to complete before the FAA certifies Boeing’s efforts to get the Max flying again. “It’s going to extend into 2020,” Dickson told US news network CNBC.

As well as gaining certification from the FAA, individual aviation safety regulators around the world, such as the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, will also have to sign off the Max’s return to service in their respective territories.