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Boeing CEO Insists the 737 Max Is Safe Now

News Airports + Flying
by Eben Diskin Aug 7, 2019

Amid continued uncertainty over the safety of Boeing’s 737 Max planes, the aircraft manufacturing company has been going to great lengths to reassure people that its planes will be, in fact, safe.

At the Global Business Travel Association’s 2019 convention, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg said, “Certainly the situation with the Max has been a tough one. We continue to have deep sympathy for the families and loved ones affected by these two accidents. It has reaffirmed and driven us to continue to focus on safety as a core focus for our company, we are working hard on the Max and making good progress.”

Though software updates are underway in an effort to fix the aircraft’s issues, there is no solid timetable for the reintroduction of the 737 Max, which has been globally grounded since the airplane was blamed for the fatal crash that took plane in Ethiopia in March. According to Muilenberg, “We plan to submit that cert package in September and return to service in the early fourth quarter. The Max will be one of the safest aircraft ever to fly.”

Despite these assurances, passengers are still likely to be wary of catching a flight aboard a 737 Max. The key lies in whether or not Boeing succeeds in restoring trust in the aircraft — and rebranding the 737 Max with a new sticker is unlikely to do the trick.

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