Opinion | Boeing should give up on its 737 Max

Boeing Co is reportedly mulling what to do with its Boeing 737 Max, a narrow-bodied aircraft that various countries’ aviation regulators have put under the scanner for safety after a couple of crashes drew attention to a suspected flight software bug. The plane’s maker might either cut back or suspend production, says a report. It has been a bestseller, but its reputation now seems hard to salvage, especially after the company admitted that its technology needed to be fixed.

At first, Boeing hoped that the plane could return to service by the end of this year, but that seems unlikely now, given a series of boxes it would need to tick in order to get an okay from the American regulator. In these circumstances, halting production would make sense. This should not be temporary. The company should simply give up on the model, and go back to the drawing board for an equivalent that doesn’t spook flyers.