American Airlines is canceling flights scheduled with Boeing 737 Max aircraft until mid-August due to the grounding of the plane. The 737 Max was grounded by airports around the globe in March. The decision was made after a 737 Max being flown by Ethiopian Airlines crashed, leaving no survivors. The accident bore several similarities to a crash that occurred in October 2018, which involved a plane of the same model being operated by Indonesia’s Lion Air. The two incidents resulted in a total of 346 deaths.

The crashes are being attributed to a faulty safety feature in the Boeing 737 Max’s software. The feature is meant to automatically lower the nose of the aircraft when sensors detect that it is beginning to stall or lose lift. However, software malfunctions caused sensors to incorrectly determine that the aircraft was stalling. The planes’ noses were automatically lowered by the program, resulting in a loss of control that eventually led them to crash.

Boeing is currently working on a solution to prevent future accidents involving the 737 Max. According to Dennis Muilenburg, the CEO of Boeing, about two-thirds of the fifty customers who ordered a Boeing 737 Max have had a chance to try out a corrected version of the software. 159 hours of flight simulation tests were conducted by airline leaders and pilots during a total of 96 virtual flights. Muilenburg stated that the 737 Max’s software updates will make the planes “even safer” by preventing “erroneous” sensor readings. He added, “It’s our responsibility to eliminate this risk.” Boeing also announced that it will be cutting down its production of 737 planes. The company formerly produced 52 of the aircraft every month but has decreased to 42 as a result of the worldwide grounding. Numerous airlines, including Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, and United Airlines, have canceled flights scheduled with the plane.

American Airlines’ cancellations on 737 Max flights extend until August 19. Around 115 of the airline’s flights will be canceled each day, which represents about 1.5% of its daily flights. American Airlines CEO Doug Parker and president Robert Isom stated, “Based upon our ongoing work with the Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing, we are highly confident that the Max will be recertified.” The date when the Boeing 737 Max will be allowed to take flight again has not yet been determined. Until then, the 24 models in American Airlines’ fleet will not be in service.

Photo courtesy of SIMPLEFLYING.COM