Boeing Co.’s 737 Max has been cleared to return to the skies with an extensive package of fixes, after a scarring 20-month hiatus prompted by a pair of fatal crashes.
The actions, announced Wednesday by the Federal Aviation Administration, closed out the longest grounding of a jetliner in U.S. history and set the stage for other regulators to clear the Max, which would allow airlines worldwide to resume passenger service with the plane.
The FAA decision is a dramatic turning point for Boeing after more than two years of bad news surrounding its best-selling model. But the aircraft’s return won’t mean an immediate end to the controversy or a cash infusion for the company’s suffering bottom line.