Europe expects to take longer than US to decide on Boeing 737 Max’s return

Europe’s top aviation regulator expects to take longer to get Boeing’s 737 Max back into service than the projected timeline being taken by the US, which would likely push the grounded planes return into next year on the continent.

European Aviation Safety Agency chief Patrick Ky last week met with officials from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to say that the EASA decision will follow FAA’s, according to a person familiar with the talks. The person wasn’t authorized to speak about the meeting and asked not to be named.

Ky has made several statements in recent months indicating that Europe would likely trail the US on the review of Boeing’s best-selling plane, though the tenor of his comments has ranged from optimism that it would closely mirror the FAA to indications it could take much longer.