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Boeing has completed the test flights for the recertification of the Boeing
737 MAX. In recent days, pilots from the American aviation regulator FAA
tested the plagued plane, which has been grounded since March last year after
two fatal crashes due to problems with the Maneuvering Characteristics
Augmentation System (MCAS).
 
The test flights were conducted on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in the
vicinity of the 737 MAX factory near Seattle with a two-year-old MAX 7, the
smallest variant in the 737 MAX series.
 
According to the FAA, the completion of the test flights is an important
milestone for putting the aircraft back into service. However, the supervisor
must evaluate the data of the test flights.
 
In addition, the regulator wants to complete other tasks, including approving
the new pilot training procedures before sending the aircraft back into the
air. It is very unlikely to happen before September, Reuters reports.
 
"We will take the time necessary to thoroughly evaluate Boeing's work," said
the FAA. "The planes are not allowed to re-launch until the FAA security
experts are convinced that the aircraft meets the certification standards."
 
The problems with the 737 MAX have already cost Boeing billions. At the end of
May, the company announced that it would cut 13,000 jobs, because it hardly
receives any new orders due to the corona crisis. In total, about 160,000
employees work at Boeing, most of them in the United States.
 
Meanwhile, Boeing has resumed production of the 737 MAX. The aircraft are
being produced at a slow pace at the 737 MAX factory in Renton near Seattle.
As the year progresses, the aircraft manufacturer will increase the production
of the aircraft. The goal is to have at least 31 737 MAX airplanes rolled off
the line every month by 2021.

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