Boeing 737 Max 8 planes will be back in the air 'very soon,' its CEO says


You could be onboard one of Boeing's most notorious planes by the end of the year.
The aircraft manufacturer has started the process to regain Federal Aviation Administration certification for its 737 Max 8 jets, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg told CNBC on Monday. Boeing recently issued a software update for the aircraft's flawed anti-stall system, and now Muilenburg says it should be back in use for commercial airlines by the end of the year.
737 Max 8 planes were grounded around the world in March after two of them crashed, killing 346 people total. A series of reports later tied the crashes to other reported issues with the model's anti-stall mechanism and suggested Boeing was aware of the flawed technology but didn't move quickly to fix it.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The FAA now has to recertify the aircraft before it can get back in the air. Boeing has scheduled simulated flights with the FAA for this week, Muilenburg said, and added that "we hope to schedule the certification flight very soon." The FAA would then decide if the Max 8 planes are skyworthy. So far in the regulatory process, the FAA found that more than 300 Boeing 737 jets had faulty wing parts that need to be replaced before they can fly again.
Watch Muilenburg's whole CNBC interview below. Kathryn Krawczyk
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
El Palace Barcelona: old-world luxury in the heart of the city
The Week Recommends This historic hotel is set within a former Ritz outpost moments from the Passeig de Gràcia
-
The best history books to read in 2025
The Week Recommends These fascinating deep-dives are perfect for history buffs
-
July 4 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Friday’s political cartoons include the danger of talking politics at a family picnic, and disappearing Medicaid entitlements
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new high
Speed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year
-
Economists fear US inflation data less reliable
speed read The Labor Department is collecting less data for its consumer price index due to staffing shortages
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress code
speed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff display
Speed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off