Boeing reports more 737 Max cancellations as FAA review draws to a close

Boeing reported more cancellations of its beleaguered 737 Max planes on Tuesday, as regulators complete their review of the planes following two fatal crashes.

The aircraft manufacturer is facing a double crisis from the grounding of the 737 Max, now in its 20th month, and the coronavirus pandemic, which has devastated air travel and the new aircraft market.

Boeing customers canceled 12 737 Max orders in October and the company has not released any news. Including the planes that Boeing withdrew from its official order book, its current orders rose to 4,275 from 4,325 last month.

The Federal Aviation Administration is completing its assessment of changes Boeing made to planes after two 737 Max crashes killed 346 people and caused a global airliner grounding in March 2019.

That review will wrap up in the “next few days,” FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said in a statement Monday evening. The process is expected to end in mid-November and the order to end the grounding would be followed by pilot training, which is expected to take weeks.

“Even though we are close to the finish line, I will only lift the grounding order after our safety experts are satisfied that the aircraft meets certification standards,” Dickson said.

American Airlines has scheduled the planes to fly commercially at the end of December, the first of the U.S. carriers to purchase them. The airline also plans to allow customers to tour planes and ask its pilots and mechanics to answer their questions in a bid to build confidence in the planes, CNBC reported last month.

Boeing said it delivered 13 planes to customers in October.