Boeing 737 MAX Jet on first-round test flights: US Federal Aviation Agency

Boeing began conducting certification flights on Monday to evaluate upgrades to the aircraft’s automated flight control system, which was blamed for two deadly crashes that forced regulators to ground the plane, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement.

“The FAA and Boeing are conducting a series of certification flights this week to evaluate Boeing’s proposed changes to the automated flight control system on the 737 MAX. The aircraft departed from Boeing Field in Seattle at 9:55 a.m. Pacific Time [4:55 p.m. GMT] today for the first round of testing. The flight is expected to take several hours,” the release said.