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- American Airlines is canceling 90 flights per day until at least April 24, it said Sunday.
- The affected flights were planned to be flown with Boeing 737 Max planes, which remain grounded after two deadly crashes.
- Boeing is working on a software update to the plane’s computer system with the FAA that is expected in April.
American Airlines said Sunday it will extend flight cancellation through April 24 because of the grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX after two fatal crashes since October and cut some additional flights.
American, the largest U.S. carrier, said it is cancelling about 90 flights a day. American is the second-largest U.S. operator of the MAX in the United States with 24 jets, behind Southwest Airlines with 34.
American said earlier this month it was flying about 85 flights a day out of its 6,700 daily departures on 737 MAX planes when the grounded was announced.
The airline said it was making the announcement "to provide more certainty to our customers and team members and better protect our customers on other flights to their final destination."
Boeing Co is expected as early as Monday to formally disclose a planned upgrade to its anti-stall system to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that has been in the works since October’s Lion Air crash but still needs approval from U.S. regulators.
Read more: Boeing reportedly pushed engineers to develop 737 Max at twice the normal pace
The FAA has said it plans to mandate the upgrade by April, but it is still not clear if the upgrade will address any issues after the March 10 Ethiopian Airlines crash.
American, Southwest and United Airlines were all meeting with Boeing this weekend to review the software upgrade, Reuters reported Saturday.
The FAA said earlier the "design changes" would result in flight control system enhancements that will provide "reduced reliance on procedures associated with required pilot memory items."
Reuters reported Thursday the upgrade will include a previously optional warning light. Many airlines, including American, already had the optional light.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
See Also:
- Boeing quietly unveiled the $442 million airliner that will replace the 747 jumbo jet
- DOJ has reportedly subpoenaed Boeing as part of a criminal investigation involving the 737 Max
- Boeing will start including a safety feature that customers previously had to pay for on all 737 Max aircraft
SEE ALSO: Boeing reportedly pushed engineers to develop 737 Max at twice the normal pace
Source: Business Insider –