Shares in Boeing (NYSE:BA) was cleared for takeoff Monday, on word the plane maker and the Federal Aviation Administration will begin a three-day certification test campaign for the 737 MAX on Monday.
Pilots will intentionally trigger the reprogrammed stall-prevention software known as MCAS faulted in both MAX crashes, as well as aerodynamic stall conditions.
"Likely weeks later, after the data is analyzed and training protocols are firmed up, FAA Administrator Steve Dickson will board the same plane to make his assessments. If all goes well, the FAA would then need to approve new pilot training procedures, among other reviews, and would not likely approve the plane’s ungrounding until September."
Based on those projections, the jet would be on a path to resume U.S. service before year-end, though the process has been plagued by delays for more than a year.
Some 800 MAX planes are currently grounded, with about half of them in storage under Boeing's control because they were never delivered to customers.
The FAA has confirmed the start Monday of the multi-day 737 MAX test program in an email to Congressional staffers. The FAA, over the weekend, confirmed to Congress that an agency board had finished a review of Boeing's safety system assessment for the plane, which would allow the flight certification testing to begin.
BA shares took for the sky Monday morning, gaining $6.78, or 4% to $176.79.
