Infrastructure

American Airlines Extends 737 Max Cancellations Into April

The airline now says its Boeing 737 Max cancellations will extend through at least April 6.

American Airlines Extends 737 Max Cancellations Into April
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As Boeing 737 Max airplanes remain grounded across the globe, American Airlines announced it's extending flight cancellations into April. 

American has 24 737 Max planes in its fleet. Those planes, and all other 737 Max aircraft operated by U.S. airlines, were grounded indefinitely back in March after two fatal crashes involving Boeing 737 Max 8s.

American previously said it would cancel 140 flights each day through March 4 to account for the temporary loss of part of its fleet. But on Thursday the airline said those cancellations would now extend through at least April 6. 

Those 140 cancellations only represent 2% of American Airlines' 6,700 daily flights. The airline noted that the majority of flights that are affected by the cancellations will still fly on schedule — American Airlines will just substitute in a different plane. 

Boeing's been working on a software update for its 737 Max aircraft, and it hopes to get the grounded planes back in the air in the U.S. next month. 

But U.S. officials told Reuters it could take the FAA until February or March to give its approval. 

Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN