Boeing says timing of 737 MAX return in hands of regulators

DUBAI (Reuters) – Boeing (BA.N) said on Saturday the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and other global regulators would decide the timing of the return to service of its 737 MAX, which has been grounded since March in the wake of two fatal crashes.

The head of the FAA has told his team to “take whatever time is needed” in its review of the MAX, according to a Nov. 14 memo seen by Reuters, issued days after Boeing said it expected the FAA to certify the 737 MAX in mid-December.

“The FAA and regulators around the world control the schedule,” Stan Deal, chief executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, told a news conference on the eve of the Dubai Airshow.