Citing the "latest guidance" received in communications with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of Transportation and Boeing, American Airlines noted that the decision to extend its flight cancellations comes in line with the 737 MAX's anticipated certification and return to commercial service.
Formal schedule changes for future American Airlines flights will take place on November 17.
The airline previously grounded the 737 MAX planes through January 15, 2020, following a number of setbacks tied to the aircraft's Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), which was cited as the main culprit in the Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashes that killed a total of 346 people.
Southwest Airlines, which purchased 34 of the now-grounded aircraft to replace its oldest fleet of jets, also readjusted its timetable on Friday and pushed back scheduling flights on its 737 Max jetliners until March 6, 2020.
The airlines' decisions come not long after it was reported that Boeing not only suffered a major drop in revenue, but also experienced a shift in leadership and was publicly reprimanded by the FAA for withholding information concerning one of the earliest reports of an error within the notorious MCAS.
Boeing claims their updated MCAS system, which has to be certified by the FAA along with the 737 MAX, will accurately “enhance pitch stability."
