The Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing Co have completed certification test flights on the 737 MAX, a key milestone toward the plane’s return to service, the U.S. regulator said on Wednesday.
The MAX has been grounded since March 2019 after two fatal crashes in five months killed 346 people.
The FAA said it must still evaluate data from the three days of testing and has other tasks to complete.
“The agency is following a deliberate process and will take the time it needs to thoroughly review Boeing’s work,” the FAA said. “We will lift the grounding order only after FAA safety experts are satisfied that the aircraft meets certification standards.”
