The beleaguered Boeing 737 Max could soon be airborne again.
The US Federal Aviation Administration is likely to begin certification flights for the grounded aircraft in October, the clearest sign yet that the Max could be cleared to fly again before the end of the year.
The FAA expects to begin the test flights sometime in October, according to people briefed on the matter.
Certification flights are one of the final steps before the regulator makes a final decision to clear the jet to fly again.
The timeline is generally in line with Boeing’s latest projections.
The plane maker has consistently said it expects the Boeing Max to be airborne again before the end of 2019.
It has been testing updates to the flight-control software, which had been linked to two fatal crashes which claimed 346 lives.
"We continue to support the FAA and global regulators on the safe return of the Max to service," Boeing said.
The FAA itself is under scrutiny too, and Boeing still needs to complete several other related tasks before the planes are ready to conduct certification flights, according to another person at the agency familiar with the process.
"The FAA’s certification of the Boeing 737 Max is the subject of several independent reviews and investigations that will examine all aspects of the five-year effort," the agency recently said.
"While the agency’s certification processes are well established, we welcome the scrutiny from these experts and look forward to their findings."
It is still unclear whether other global regulators will follow a similar timeline, or stand firm on more stringent measures than the FAA has reportedly sought.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has several issues with the plane that goes beyond the anti-stall software system which has been blamed in part for the two accidents.
