Boeing announced it has completed the software update development of the Boeing 737 MAX on 16 May and is now working with the US FAA to schedule its certification test flight.
No timeline has been officially released, but Boeing says it has also completed all the simulator testing, and its engineering test flight for the 737 MAX.
Boeing has flown the updated manoeuvring characteristics augmentation system (MCAS) software, which is alleged to have been the cause of the two fatal crashes, for more than 360 hours over 207 flights.
The aircraft manufacturer has stated: “We are now providing additional information to address the FAA requests that include additional detail on how the pilots interact with the airplane controls and displays in different flight scenarios.”
Boeing’s statement comes a day after US lawmakers grilled FAA acting chief Dan Elwell about the FAA’s certification and oversight of both Boeing and the MAX series.
Elwell sat before a House Transportation Committee panel, where he admitted that pilots should have known more about the MCAS.
The 737 MAX fleet currently remains globally grounded while multiple high-level investigations are taking place.
Crash investigators have focused on the MCAS software, implicating it as a contributory factor in both the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines accidents.
