By David Shepardson
LONDON (Reuters) – Boeing Co has settled on a design to address an engine anti-icing system that has caused a significant delay in the certification of the 737 MAX 7, the chief executive of the planemaker’s commercial airplanes division said, suggesting the fix could be completed by next year.
The problem with the anti-icing system could cause the engine to overheat and possibly fail, Stephanie Pope said in a briefing with reporters. “We’re making progress on the engineering,” she added.
Asked if the aircraft maker would conduct a flight test later this year and complete the fix around early or mid-2025, Pope did not make an official prediction but said she believed it would be around that time.
In January, Boeing, which is under scrutiny for its safety record after a cabin panel exploded on Alaska Airlines’ new Max 9 jet, withdrew an application it filed with the Federal Aviation Administration last year seeking a safety waiver for the Max 7 over the issue, pushing the potential certification process to 2025 or later.
In January, Senator Tammy Duckworth urged Boeing to drop the waiver request, saying the issue could “cause the engine casing to disintegrate and fall off. This could generate debris that penetrates the fuselage, potentially endangering passengers in window seats behind the wing.”
The FAA, which has repeatedly declined to set any timetable for approval, said it would “carefully review any design Boeing submits.”
Boeing said it has not recorded any safety incidents on its Max 8 and Max 9 aircraft in service due to engine inlet overheating.
The aircraft maker issued guidance to airlines in June 2023 to follow established procedures when using the Max’s engine anti-icing system to address potential overheating, and the Federal Aviation Administration in August 2023 mandated the current procedure to turn off the engine anti-icing system when it is no longer needed.
Southwest Airlines (NYSE: ), the largest customer of the Max 7, said in January that it no longer expected to receive deliveries of the model this year.
Boeing said it must first get FAA approval for the Max 7 before it can certify the larger, best-selling Max 10.