How Southwest Airlines Plans to Get the 737 Max Back in the Sky

  • Carrier will need up to 40 days to ready grounded jets, pilots
  • Executives, regulators among those to fly before the public
FAA Says Won’t Clear 737 Max Fixes Until 2020
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Worsening tensions between Boeing Co. and the Federal Aviation Administration threaten new delays in the return of the 737 Max. But even after regulators sign off, airlines will still have weeks of work before passengers fly on the beleaguered plane.

Southwest Airlines Co. is anticipating a month or more of preparations after the Max wins approval to fly from the FAA. With speculation mounting that Boeing won’t be able to complete the regulatory process until February, Southwest is starting to doubt whether it can make good on its plan to restore the Max to its flight schedule in early March.