Two workers walk under the wing of a 737 Max aircraft at the Boeing factory in Renton, Washington, March 27, 2019.
Lindsey Wasson | Reuters
The head of the Federal Aviation Administration has told airlines that it could lift a flight ban on the Boeing 737 Max before mid-year, ahead of the manufacturer’s new timeline that it shared with its customers this week. The news sent Boeing’s shares higher.
The planes have been grounded since March after two deadly crashes in a span of five months killed all 346 people on the flights.
FAA administrator Steve Dickson told carriers that it could recertify the planes before the middle of the year if no new issues are discovered, according to a person familiar with the conversations.
Boeing shares rose on the news, which was reported earlier by Reuters, and were recently trading up by almost 2%.
“While the FAA continues to follow a thorough, deliberate process, the agency is pleased with Boeing’s progress in recent weeks toward achieving key milestones,” the FAA said in a statement. “Safety is the top priority, and the FAA continues to work with other safety regulators to ensure that Boeing has addressed all known issues with the aircraft.”