How the government shutdown reportedly stopped Boeing from fixing its 737 MAX planes

Max 737 jet.
(Image credit: Christopher Furlong /Getty Images)

Boeing reportedly thought it would have a software fix for its 737 MAX by January.

But the repair didn't arrive until Monday, after a Boeing 737 MAX 8 airplane had crashed and killed all 157 people onboard. That's because Boeing's disagreements with the Federal Aviation Administration kept delaying the repair — and its discussions with the FAA stopped altogether during the five-week government shutdown, The Wall Street Journal reports.

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Kathryn Krawczyk

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.