Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 9 planes will be grounded in US for ‘weeks’ during design fix, lawmakers say after FAA briefing
- A software upgrade will need to be tested and installed in all 737 MAX planes before they can fly again, the FAA says
- The fix relates to an automated control system called MCAS, that may be linked to crashes of Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air planes
US lawmakers said after a briefing with the acting head of the Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday that Boeing’s 737 MAX 8 and 9 planes will remain grounded in the US for “weeks” at a minimum, until a software upgrade could be tested and installed in all of the planes.
FAA Administrator Dan Elwell told reporters on Wednesday the software update will be ready within a couple of months after regulators around the world grounded the plane following a second fatal crash in the 737 MAX 8 since October.
The FAA said Monday it planned to require the upgrade it termed “design changes” by April. An FAA spokesman confirmed Thursday that the FAA will not un-ground the aeroplanes until the software patch is approved and installed.
The plane has also been grounded worldwide by officials and airlines.
Boeing and the FAA did not immediately comment.
Representative Rick Larsen said after the briefing the software upgrade would take a few weeks to complete and installing on all aircraft would take “at least through April.” He said additional training would also have to take place.