Nine months after the Boeing 737 MAX was grounded worldwide following two fatal crashes, 2019 ended with continued uncertainty over when the narrowbody will return to service and how long it will take to ramp back up to production rates that were set before the grounding. That uncertainty was underscored as the manufacturer announced Dec. 16 it will temporarily suspend MAX production in January. Boeing has repeatedly assured customers and investors that FAA approval would be achieved in the 2019 fourth quarter, leading to global regulatory recertifications and resumption of commercial service to begin in the first quarter of 2020. As the year closed, however, that prospect looked increasingly unlikely as FAA, under new administrator Steve Dickson, took a more forceful stance on what needs to happen before the agency will support returning the MAX to service.
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