FAA administrator to tell US airlines MAX approval could come before mid-year

Washington: Federal Aviation Administrator Steve Dickson is calling senior US airline officials Friday to tell them that the agency could approve the grounded Boeing 737 MAX’s return to service before mid-year, a government official said Friday.

Dickson’s calls come days after Boeing said it was pushing back its time-line for approval of the plane’s return and “currently estimating that the ungrounding of the 737 MAX will begin during mid-2020.”

The agency confirmed in a statement Friday that Dickson is making calls “to reiterate that the FAA has set no time frame for completion of certification work on the aircraft.” The agency added it is “pleased with Boeing’s progress in recent weeks towards achieving key milestones.”