Boeing has reportedly scheduled September to December flights for the troubled 737 Max jets despite no confirmation regarding the planes' recertification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Routes Online first released the new schedule, with daily service for Miami and Medellin, Colombia for the month of September. Daily service flights are also reportedly scheduled for December between Miami and St. Maarten.
Boeing has yet to confirm if the reported schedules are official. Amid the emergence of the new flight schedules, some industry experts are questioning why the company would schedule new flights at this time.
Some analysts suggest that Boeing may have scheduled the flights in an effort to keep optimism in the company following the two 737 Max tragedies and the grounding of all models worldwide.
According to Simple Flying, American Airlines said it was hopeful of flying the Boeing 737 Max sometime August while the FAA said it is looking to provide recertification for the model by late June.
Despite hopes for certification before the first half of 2019 ends, FAA Acting Administrator Daniel Elwell clarified last week that there is a lot of work and testing to be done before the recertification is handed out.
A joint international panel has also kicked off a probe into the original certification process that the Boeing 737 Max jets went through. The committee was formed following preliminary findings on the investigation of the Ethiopian Airlines that revealed there was an issue on the plane's anti-stall system.
Meanwhile, United Airlines has extended flight cancelations on the jets until August 3. The move was made after American Airlines and Southwest Airlines extended cancelations. United Airlines said it will work on adjusting flights for passengers using other models or jets from other brands.
Originally, the flight carrier grounded its 737 Max jets through July. However, other airlines announced extensions, prompting United Continental Holdings, Inc. to follow suit. The company canceled around 3,300 flights shortly after the Ethiopian Airlines crash in March.
Boeing has another obstacle to overcome as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) kicked off investigations surrounding questions on the company's disclosure on the 737 Max planes.
SEC officials are reportedly investigating if Boeing disclosed necessary information about the grounded jets to shareholders. Furthermore, the probe is aimed at ensuring if the world's leading jet maker's financial statements reflected expenses and potential problems during the manufacturing of the troubled planes.
It is worth noting that the company is public, which means it is obligated to disclose data to investors and shareholders. Both Boeing and the agency have yet to comment on the report.
