By Andrew Tangel, Alison Sider and Andy Pasztor
PARIS -- The Federal Aviation Administration could start flight
trials of Boeing Co.'s proposed 737 MAX safety enhancement as early
as this week as the plane maker's chief executive vowed to restore
public confidence in the jet.
Boeing Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg said he was
disappointed in the company's communication lapses surrounding the
MAX and promised greater transparency to rebuild public trust in
the plane and company.
Boeing has some work to do in fixing public perception. A Wall
Street Journal/NBC News poll shows that 25% of U.S. fliers said
they would try to avoid flying on a MAX, with a further 38% saying
they weren't sure or had no opinion. Of 774 people polled between
June 8 and June 11, 37% said they would travel on the plane as
readily as any other once regulators allow the aircraft to return
to service.
"We're going to bring a MAX back up in the air that will be one
of the safest airplanes ever to fly," Mr. Muilenburg told reporters
Sunday on the eve of the Paris Air Show, the aerospace industry's
flagship gathering this year. "But we also know it will take time
rebuilding the confidence of our customers and the flying public,
and this will be a long-term effort," he added.
Boeing's effort to repair its reputational damage is taking on a
greater sense of urgency with the FAA preparing to take an
important step to return the MAX to service by late summer. Barring
last-minute snags, the agency may start flight testing the MAX as
early as this week to assess whether an upgrade developed by the
U.S. plane maker fixes a flight-control system implicated in two
fatal crashes, according to people familiar with the planning.
The flights trials would be a crucial step to return the MAX to
the sky after it was idled world-wide more than three months ago
over safety concerns. Regulators grounded the plane in March after
it was involved in the two fatal accidents overseas within five
months, killing 346 people. It isn't clear when the plane will
return to service.
Mr. Muilenburg told reporters the company was making progress
with getting the MAX cleared again to fly passengers, but that the
schedule to do so remains uncertain. "We haven't given the airlines
a specific timetable," he said, adding "this will all be governed
by safety."
Mr. Muilenburg said the communications lapses involving the MAX
wouldn't be repeated. The company has been reviewing the design of
the MAX and how the company handled the aftermath of the two
crashes. Mr. Muilenburg said no personnel action has been taken as
a result of the accidents.
Getting the FAA's endorsement is only one of the hurdles Boeing
and airlines face in returning the plane to regular service.
Foreign regulators also have to sign off on the fix.
The long-anticipated certification tests, the people said, have
been planned with the support of European and Canadian regulators.
They could take a week or more to complete, according to one person
briefed on the anticipated timeline, and would be followed by
additional weeks of FAA experts analyzing and formally documenting
the test results. Engineering or handling problems uncovered during
the tests, these people emphasized, could extend that timeline.
The start of FAA-run airborne testing could prepare for the MAX
to potentially return to U.S. airspace around late summer. Boeing
previously said it completed extensive flight tests of its own and
submitted the results to the FAA.
At an international safety conference in Germany last week,
senior FAA officials told foreign regulators, including leaders of
the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, that certification tests
were imminent, according to a person who attended the
briefings.
On Saturday, an FAA spokesman said "we have no updates to
provide at this time." He added that "we continue to work with
Boeing to gather the necessary data we need to ensure the aircraft
is safe to return to service."
EASA is performing an independent safety review of the MAX
flight-control system that is expected to stretch at least into
July, and depending on the early conclusions, could take until
September to complete, according to two European government
officials familiar with the details.
Returning the several hundred MAX planes grounded globally to
the sky is a challenge that cuts across the aviation industry.
Engine supplier CFM International, a joint venture of General
Electric Co. and Safran SA, will have about 250 technicians working
closely with airlines to get each plane ready to fly again, a
process that can take several days, said Allen Paxson, executive
vice president for the engine maker. That involves such steps as
removing protective covers, changing oil and other fluids and
running engines on the ground.
While the fleet is idled, CFM is pulling forward some scheduled
maintenance to get equipment in pristine condition. "Our teams are
going to be on site with those airplanes to make sure that
everything goes smoothly," Mr. Paxson said.
But airlines may have the hardest task: selling the plane's
safety to customers. It is a dilemma for carriers that typically
focus marketing on prices, reliable service, or the allure of a
vacation rather than safety.
American Airlines Group Inc. and Southwest Airlines Co. have
struck the plane from schedules through Labor Day. United
Continental Holdings Inc. and Southwest have said they would let
passengers on MAX flights switch to other itineraries for free once
the plane returns to service.
Jamie Hawley, who owns a business in the fishing industry, said
he wished Southwest, his preferred airline, had grounded the plane
more quickly before the FAA ordered it in March.
"I can't say it's going to be an airplane I will readily want to
board, and given the option, I would definitely switch off of it,"
he said.
Mr. Muilenburg promised Boeing would be more transparent after
regulators, airlines and pilots faulted the aerospace giant for not
being forthcoming with key information about the MAX.
American's Chief Executive Doug Parker said last week that there
likely will be a period after regulators certify the plane but
before it returns to commercial service, when the airline will put
executives and crew members on MAX flights to demonstrate its
safety. United CEO Oscar Munoz has said he would be on United's
first MAX flight after the plane returns. Southwest CEO Gary Kelly
has said he would "love" to be on one of the first MAX flights.
It is an unusual role for carriers. Airline ads promote
"comfort, fares, destination and service," said John Lampl, a
former communications executive at British Airways. "Airlines never
advertise safety."
Ryan Green, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at
Southwest, said the airline likely won't craft a national marketing
campaign around the relaunch of the MAX. "Really, it's going to be
less about what we say and more about how we act," he said. "We're
prepared for all different types of reactions."
Some travelers have said they wouldn't hesitate to fly on the
plane.
Daniel Joseph, a retired transportation worker outside of
Chicago who owns Boeing shares, said the manufacturer has been
"very standoffish" in communicating with the public, but appears to
have fixed the plane's problems to his satisfaction.
"As far as the safety of the plane, I have no qualms," he
said.
But travel-industry analyst Henry Harteveldt found that nearly
half of the 2,000 people he surveyed would pay $80 more round-trip
to avoid a MAX. Some 44% of respondents to that survey said they
would take a flight at a less convenient time and more than 40% of
both business and leisure travelers said they would opt for a
connection over a nonstop to avoid flying on a MAX.
Seasoned business travelers are concerned, too. Nearly 60% of
155 corporate travel managers polled by the Global Business Travel
Association said their employees had expressed at least some
concern about flying on a MAX. Two-thirds of the travel managers
said there was a chance employees would change travel plans to
avoid the MAX -- another headache for airlines that go to lengths
to keep lucrative corporate clients satisfied.
--Robert Wall contributed to this article.
Write to Andrew Tangel at Andrew.Tangel@wsj.com, Alison Sider at
alison.sider@wsj.com and Andy Pasztor at andy.pasztor@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 16, 2019 14:24 ET (18:24 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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