Boeing Completes 96 Test Flights On The Upgraded 737 Max 8 Aircraft

US aircraft maker Boeing has completed 96 test flights on the upgraded 737 Max 8 jet , as it struggles to regain the trust of airlines and global aviation regulators.

The planemaker’s CEO, Dennis Muilenberg, said that Boeing had flown 159 test hours on the upgraded jet, and that the new software had “functioned as designed”.He also said that “additional test and production flights” would be undertaken in the “coming weeks”.

“As we continue working closely with our airline customers and global regulators to return the 737 Max to service, I’m focused on making the adjustments necessary to allow our teams to prioritise additional resources and focus on the recovery efforts”

Boeing has been working on a software update to the troubled Boeing 737 Max ever since the jet was grounded worldwide following the Ethiopian Airlines crash on 10 March 2019.

The preliminary reports into the Ethiopian Airlines crash revealed a struggle between the pilots and the anti-stall technology, MCAS, installed in the 737 Max.

Ethiopian authorities also revealed the pilots of flight ET302 “repeatedly” followed procedures recommended by Boeing before the crash.

The essential new upgrade ,which Boeing offered as an option , will now come as standard safety feature on all new 737 Max aircrafts.