New York (AFP)
Boeing's boss is still hopeful that his 737 MAX mid-mail - immobilized since two accidents that killed 346 people - will revolve this year but warned that production could be further reduced if authorizations were delayed.
Dennis Muilenburg said the aircraft manufacturer intends to file a full certification application with the US Civil Aviation Authority (FAA) in September and hopes for a green light a month later.
Boeing is working in particular on the MCAS anti-stall system involved in the two crashes of Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines.
These two accidents and the investigations they have provoked, whether by local authorities, the press, or elected officials in the United States, have also brought to light very close relations between the FAA and Boeing engineers during the process. certification that raised a lot of questions about the integrity of the process.
Muilenburg said Boeing could further reduce the production rate of its aircraft - which for now has been reduced to 42 per month against 52 before the immobilization of the entire fleet.
"These are not decisions we would take lightly," he said at a conference in New York.
A shutdown of production would affect 600 subcontractors and hundreds of thousands of jobs, he warned.
The company is "very focused" on the goal of revolving the 737 "at the beginning of the fourth quarter" is in October, recalled Mr. Muilenburg, adding however: "I think we must also to have a disciplined management of the contingencies and to be transparent in what we do ".
Revelations in the press and at congressional hearings and how Boeing handled its communication after the accidents caused a crisis of confidence in the aircraft manufacturer.
"We know it will take time to regain public confidence," Muilenburg said.
© 2019 AFP