American Airlines has announced its plan to return the embattled Boeing 737 Max aircraft to service for passenger flights by December.
According to American Airlines, the return to service of the Boeing 737 Max planes will be "highly dependent" on the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) re-certification of the aircraft.
These airplanes have been grounded since March 2019 following two crashes that resulted to the deaths of 364 people.
Returning to service
American Airlines says that once the plane has been re-certified, it would gradually introduce it back to passenger flight operations.
From December 29, 2020 through January 4, 2021, the 737 Max will begin with a daily flight once-a-day between Miami and New York and then the airline will consider extending flights after that time period.
In a statement, the airline said: "We remain in contact with the FAA and Boeing on the certification process and we'll continue to update our plans based on when the aircraft is certified."
American Airlines will make the new flight schedules available for booking as October 24 and will notify clients if they will be flying on a 737 Max.
In August, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) announced scheduled flight tests for the Boeing 737 Max.
The regulator mentioned that it had been "working steadily, in close co-operation with the FAA and Boeing, to return the Boeing 737 Max aircraft to service as soon as possible, but only once it is convinced it is safe".
It attributed the delay in scheduling the test flights to Covid-19 travel restrictions between Europe and the US.
Boeing restarted its production of the 737 Max in late May despite the lack of demand for new jets and air travel, as well as having no FAA approval yet to allow the planes to fly again.
While the company couldn’t afford to keep building the planes without being able to deliver them and complete the sales, Boeing couldn’t risk the loss of suppliers who might go out of business without being able to sell their parts to Boeing.
The aircraft maker secured its first order for the 737 Max in August after nine months.
Boeing said Poland’s largest charter carrier Enter Air has placed an order for two of the 737-8 Max airplanes, with the option to purchase two additional aircraft.
Ihssane Mounir, Boeing’s vice president of sales, emphasized that the order "underscores [Enter Air’s] confidence in the airplane and the men and women of Boeing."
Currently, Enter Air’s fleet is made up of 22 Next Generation 737s and two 737 Max airplanes. Boeing said its 737 Max fleet will increase to 10 aircraft if the purchase agreement pushes through, as well as existing unfilled orders.
Challenges at American Airlines
At the begging of this month, the airline announced that it will cut 19,000 jobs after failed attempts to get additional federal aid.
American Airlines chief executive officer (CEO) Doug Parker previously said he was still hoping for the job cuts to be averted if the firm saw signs that Congress and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin would be able to reach an agreement.
In a memo to employees, Parker wrote: "Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that any of these efforts will come to fruition."
The decision to furlough employees coincided with United Airlines' announcement that it will reduce its workforce by 13,000 employees. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said that the decision on the layoffs represented "a very sad day for all of us here at United."
Both Kirby and Parker mentioned that the airlines could undo the layoffs and quickly recall employees if a deal is reached in the coming days.
Kirby said:Â "We implore our elected leaders to reach a compromise, get a deal done now, and save jobs."
