Southwest Airlines has extended flight cancellations caused by the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max until 5 January 2020.
The carrier had previously cancelled services meant to be operated by the aircraft until 2 November, but it made the decision to revise its schedules until January because “the timing of the Max’s return to service [is] still uncertain”.
Southwest says that by removing the Max from service, it can limit last-minute flight cancellations and allow customers to make alternative services.
The move will take an average of 200 flights a week out of the airline’s schedule.
A statement on the Southwest website says: “Southwest Airlines continues to monitor information from Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the impending 737 Max software enhancements and training requirements. We remain confident that, once certified by the FAA, the enhancements will support the safe operation of the Max.”
The Boeing 737 Max has been grounded since March after two fatal accidents in which 346 people were killed were found to be partially caused by a fault with the aircraft’s Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS).
Investigators have found the system may have received conflicting data from a sensor, which in turn activated an automated response to correct the angle of the plane’s nose on take-off. Data from the first aircraft’s flight recorder shows the nose of the plane was forced down up to 20 times before it crashed.
Boeing has been working on a software update for the MCAS to provide an extra warning to flight crew if the system receives such conflicting data from the sensor so they can override it – something the manufacturer inadvertently made an optional feature before it started fulfilling orders.
In July, former Boeing engineer Adam Dickson told the BBC’s Panorama programme that engineers were often under pressure from the manufacturer to keep costs down during production of the aircraft. Dickson said he witnessed “a lack of sufficient resources to do the job in its entirety”.
The FAA has not said when it expects to recertify the 737 Max.
Other airlines have been hit by the delay in the aircraft’s return to service, with Norwegian ceasing flights between Ireland and North America next month and Ryanair announcing potential base closures as a result of receiving fewer aircraft for its summer 2020 schedule than expected.