American Airlines Extends Cancellation as 737 Max Remains Grounded

An American Airlines flight.

(Photo: iStock)

American Airlines on Sunday, 7 April, said it will extend flight cancellations through June, more than a month longer than previously announced, as the troubled Boeing 737 Max plane remains grounded, reported the Independent.

The airline had earlier announced that it would cancel around 90 flights a day until 24 April. However, on Sunday, it said that cancellations would now last until at least 5 June.

The affected customers will be contacted by the airlines and given alternate flight options.

“By proactively cancelling these flights, we are able to provide better service to our customers with availability and re-booking options,” the airline said on its website.

The airline said, it is still waiting for more information from the Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Transportation, National Transportation Safety Board and other regulatory authorities before resuming flights, according to CNN.

The airline has 24 Boeing 737 Max jets in its fleet.

The Max planes have been grounded across the world since March, following deadly crashes. An Ethiopian Airlines crash killed 157 people on 10 March, the second deadly crash in five months after a Lion Air crash that killed 189 people in October last year.

Boeing announced on Friday, 5 April, that it would cut the production of its 737 aircraft line, underscoring the mounting financial risk it faces the longer the airliner remains grounded.

The aerospace giant plans to trim production to 42 planes per month, down from 52 per month, starting in mid-April.

Boeing also announced it was establishing an advisory panel to review its company-wide policies for designing and developing planes.

Scrutiny has centred on the plane's anti-stall system, Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), which is believed to be at least partly at fault.

(With inputs from Independent and CNN.)