Boeing has added three elements of safety in the flight control system of the 737 MAX aircraft and is working to bring it back in service globally by March 2020. The plane manufacturer said it has found issues in 5 percent of all inspected MAX aircraft and has fixed them.

"We have added three safety elements in MCAS ( Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System) in flight control. We have tested over 800 flights...we at Boeing are focussed on safety," Darren Hulst, deputy vice president of commercial marketing said.

"We have taken a pause in everything to focus on safe return of MAX to service," he added.

The company also said that it is working with regulators for certification to help bring MAX to service in the US in Q4 and if the processes progress without pause, the MAX may return to service globally by March.

While the US-based aircraft manufacturer said it is working with regulators to improve the training process for the new MAX, it did not give details of the training schedule for pilots of SpiceJet.

SpiceJet has a total order-book of 205 planes, out of which 155 are firm orders and 50 are options. The 12 MAX aircraft of SpiceJet, which have already been inducted, are grounded since March.

Boeing's fastest-selling model, the MAX aircraft, was grounded worldwide in March following safety concerns after a second fatal crash involving this aircraft. While the first tragic crash was a Lion Air flight in late October 2018, the second one was that of Ethiopian Airlines in March this year.

In India, Boeing also lost out to Airbus for a 300-plane order by IndiGo but it has high expectations from its next single-aisle product of MAX 10.

"We are taking a long view of how we can support growth in India..how we can bring the best. We are confident in what the products we can offer..we have given detailed information on the two incidents and the changes made to the aeroplane to DGCA," Boeing added.

First Published:Nov 6, 2019 2:42 PM IST