World

Airline group chief: Boeing jet won't return before August

01 of June 2019

AP Photo,FILE - In this April 10, 2019, file photo, a Boeing 737 Max 8 airplane being built for India-based Jet Airways lands following a test flight at Boeing Field in Seattle. From airplanes made by Boeing to apples, cherries and wheat grown by farmers, no other state is more dependent on international trade than Washington. As the tariff disputes escalate, small factories are closing and manufacturing behemoths like Boeing are increasingly worried about access to crucial Asian markets that have helped propel the state's booming economy. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

GENEVA (AP) — The global airline trade group says it expects the Boeing 737 Max jet will remain grounded at least through mid-August after two deadly crashes.

The spokesman for the International Air Transport Association, Anthony Concil, said Wednesday the group estimates the planes will not fly for at least another 10-12 weeks. He noted that regulators like the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration will have final say.

Concil said IATA’s estimate is based on comments from U.S. carriers that they wouldn’t be scheduling commercial flights of the planes through August, and that the FAA hasn’t yet provided a timeline on decisions that could allow the planes to resume service.

Concil spoke from Seoul, where IATA is preparing its annual meeting.

IATA has 290 members, representing 82% of world commercial cargo and passenger traffic.