American Airlines is extending the cancellation of Boeing 737 Max flights until mid-August.
As many as 115 flights a day will be cancelled through to August 19, representing about 1.5% of the carrier’s total flying each day this summer.
The announcement was made to airline staff by chairman and chief executive Doug Parker and president Robert Isom yesterday.
It came as the 737 Max remains grounded worldwide following two fatal crashes in less than six months involving a Lion Air aircraft in Indonesia and an Ethiopian Airlines aircraft in Africa killing 346 people.
Boeing is working on a software fix for the 737 Max anti-stall system.
The US Federal Aviation Administration grounded all US-registered Max 8 and 9 types a month ago. Investigations into the crashes are continuing.
The bosses at American said they were “highly confident” that the Max will be recertified prior to August 19. The airline has 24 of the aircraft tin its fleet.
“But by extending our cancellations through the summer, we can plan more reliably for the peak travel season and provide confidence to our customers and team members when it comes to their travel plans,” they added.
“Once the Max is re-certified, we anticipate bringing our Max aircraft back on line as spares to supplement our operation as needed during the summer.”
They added: “We remain confident that the impending software updates, along with the new training elements Boeing is developing for the Max, will lead to recertification of the aircraft soon.
“We have been in continuous contact with the Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Transportation, National Transportation Safety Board, other regulatory authorities and are pleased with the progress so far.”
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