US-Flugzeugbauer: Software-Problem verzögert Zulassung neuer Boeing-Variante

The US aviation manufacturer Boeing is facing delays in the certification of a new variant of its widely-used aircraft, the 737 Max, due to a software issue. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) plans to assess the certification of the 737 Max 10 only after evaluating the recently identified problem, FAA chief Bryan Bedford told journalists, according to financial news service Bloomberg.

The delayed certification of the 737 Max 10, previously expected in coming weeks, is crucial for the US company in its competition with European rival Airbus, which has received over 1,500 orders for the aircraft with seating for up to 230 passengers. Boeing explains that the problem can prevent automated vertical navigation from being available during subsequent attempts following an aborted landing, forcing pilots to rely on a lower level of automation.

The company stresses that pilots are trained to land the machines without automation and that the system can be reactivated through a series of steps. Boeing is working on a permanent solution to the problem through a software update. However, it remains unclear how many of the more than 2,000 delivered 737 Max aircraft have the error.

Boeing was first alerted to the fault by the aircraft's operator in November 2024, according to the Wall Street Journal. The fault was traced back to a software update, the newspaper reported. The 737 Max model is the one that put the company in its deepest crisis, with consequences still being battled by Boeing. Following two fatal crashes in October 2018 and March 2019 that killed 346 people, the central trigger was a software assistance that was supposed to support the pilots but, under certain circumstances, interfered excessively with the control.

Boeing employees had explained to certification authorities in the US that special training for the software was unnecessary. Boeing had to suspend the production of the 737 Max, which is still reduced. The 737 Max has often been referred to as a "pilot" following additional problems, such as a January 2024 incident where a fuselage part of a nearly new 737 aircraft broke off during a climb, raising new doubts about Boeing's quality management.