LONDON, July 21 (Reuters) - Boeing's ( BA ) commercial

airplane chief said the planemaker has settled on the design to

address an engine anti-ice system that has significantly delayed

certification of the 737 MAX 7 and suggested a fix could be

completed by next year.

The issue with the anti-ice system could lead to it

overheating and potentially causing an engine failure. "We're

progressing on the engineering," Stephanie Pope said in a

meeting with reporters.

Asked if the planemaker will conduct a flight test later

this year and complete the fix around early to mid-2025, Pope

did not offer a formal prediction but said she thought it would

be around that time.