Washington sources reported that American Airlines announced Sunday it would scrap some 115 flights per day in the coming months because its fleet of Boeing 737 MAX planes is being grounded until August 19. Meanwhile America's leading airline had previously only planned to keep the planes out of commission until June 5, with Boeing facing intense scrutiny after 157 people died in an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX crash on March 10 the second deadly crash involving the aircraft in five months.
Reportedly American Airlines chairman and CEO Doug Parker said in a statement “These 115 flights represent approximately 1.5% of American's total flying each day this summer”, but he stressed his confidence in the aircraft overall. He said “Based upon our ongoing work with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Boeing, we are highly confident that the MAX will be re-certified prior to this time (August 19)”.
Moreover 'Once the MAX is re-certified, we anticipate bringing our MAX aircraft back on line as spares to supplement our operation as needed during the summer.' Apparently American Airlines had lowered one of its first quarter indicators in light of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes being grounded, along with the partial US government shutdown and technical challenges.
