Grounded Max has decades of use ahead: Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg

Chicago: Boeing Chief Executive Officer Dennis Muilenburg is doubling down on the beleaguered 737 Max aircraft with a prediction that the plane will reclaim its position as a single-aisle workhorse following upgrades on the grounded model.

Speaking on the first day of the Paris Air Show, the CEO reaffirmed his confidence that the Max will return to service before the end of the year and that the plane will remain the backbone of the company’s short-haul strategy for years to come. He dismissed the notion that two deadly Max crashes in a five-month span would force Boeing to accelerate the introduction of an all-new model as a replacement.