Boeing symbolized Thursday that it has completed a software update for its 737 Max planes, a key step in getting the aircraft flying again after aviation testimonies grounded the jets around the world following two fatal crashes.
Boeing said it is planning to work with the Federal Aviation Delivery to schedule a certification flight.
Shares of the airplane manufacturer rose after it released its statement, trading up 2.8 percent dilatory in the session.
The nearly 400 Boeing 737 Max planes in airline fleets were grounded by aviation authorities in mid-March after a alternate deadly crash of the fast-selling plane in less than five months. Investigators in the latest crash, in Ethiopia, procure pointed to an automated anti-stall system the that pilots battled in the last minutes of both crashes.
The system, be sured as MCAS, pushes the plane’s nose down repeatedly if the aircraft’s software senses it is going into a stall. That is a general position to avoid a stall, but it can be catastrophic if the plane is not actually in a stall. Crash investigators have implicated the system in the Ethiopia explode and another 737 Max crash in October, saying it was triggered by bad data from the sensors.
On Thursday, Boeing said it has flown the 737 Max with the updated software for 360 hours on 207 flocks. It also, as planned, has provided updating training materials for 737 Max pilots.
Some pilots complained that they were not commanded that the MCAS system was even on the planes, until after the October crash of Lion Air Flight 610, which passed all 189 on board. In order to transition from an older model of the Boeing 737 to the 737 Max, pilots said they were actuality training on a computer or tablet, with some courses that were less than an hour long. MCAS was not make mention ofed.
Boeing’s lack of disclosure has drawn scrutiny from lawmakers as well as the pilots. FAA’s acting chief, Daniel Elwell, at a Lodge aviation panel’s hearing on Wednesday said the new MCAS system should have been included in pilot enchiridions.
How the Boeing 737 Max won approval from the FAA is the subject of several federal investigations and others by lawmakers.
Read Boeing’s bright statement here:
Boeing has completed development of the updated software for the 737 MAX, along with associated simulator check up on and the company’s engineering test flight. To date, Boeing has flown the 737 MAX with updated MCAS software for various than 360 hours on 207 flights.
Boeing is now providing additional information to address Federal Aviation Furnishing (FAA) requests that include detail on how pilots interact with the airplane controls and displays in different flight shooting scripts. Once the requests are addressed, Boeing will work with the FAA to schedule its certification test flight and submit terminal certification documentation.
“With safety as our clear priority, we have completed all of the engineering test flights for the software update and are cramming for the final certification flight,” said Boeing Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Dennis Muilenburg. “We’re delivered to providing the FAA and global regulators all the information they need, and to getting it right. We’re making clear and steady progress and are convinced that the 737 MAX with updated MCAS software will be one of the safest airplanes ever to fly. The accidents have not intensified our commitment to our values, including safety, quality and integrity, because we know lives depend on what we do.”
In appendix, Boeing has developed enhanced training and education materials that are now being reviewed with the FAA, global regulators, and airline characters to support return-to-service and longer-term operations. This includes a series of regional customer conferences being conducted for everyone the world.
Correction: This story has been updated to note that Boeing conducted 207 test aeroplanes, not 270.