Boeing 737 Max may stay grounded until 2020 as software needs to be fixed: Report

Boeing Co.’s 737 Max may stay grounded until early 2020 as the company seeks to fix its hazardous flight-control software, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The plane is expected to start flying again in January 2020 “under the latest scenario,” the Wall Street Journal said, citing unidentified sources within the Federal Aviation Administration and pilot-union leaders. The situation is “fluid” and no firm timeline has been established, the newspaper said.

On Sunday, American Airlines Group Inc. said it would keep the jet off its schedule through Nov. 2, the fifth time the airline has adjusted its flights to accommodate the Max’s lengthening absence. United Airlines Holdings Inc. this week also removed the 737 Max from its schedule through Nov. 2.

Aviation regulators grounded the newest 737 after two crashes involving the plane killed 346 people. On June 26, the FAA disclosed a separate software glitch it had found during simulator testing. That issue requires additional work by Boeing and is further delaying to the Max’s return to service.

Whenever the Max is cleared to fly, US airlines have said they will need several weeks or even months to transition the jets back into their operations.