SEATTLE — It's been nearly eight months since Boeing has been embroiled with issues surrounding the 737 Max fleet.
Lion Air Flight 610 crashed in Jakarta on October 29, killing all 189 on board. Then another 737 Max plane crashed in Ethiopia on March 10, with 157 fatalities. Boeing acknowledges a flight control feature called MCAS played a role in both accidents.
Talk from the Paris Air Show, one of the world's biggest aviation events held every two years, suggests the end of Boeing's troubles are a long way off.
"We are very sorry for the loss of lives as a result of the tragic accidents," said Kevin McAllister, the head of Boeing's airliner business based in Renton, Washington.
He appeared to step up the company's public contrition after Boeing faced blow-back from earlier comments by CEO Dennis Muilenburg, which some viewed as inadequate.
Boeing is facing fire from all sides; not just the families of the 346 victims of both crashes.
Airlines including U.S. carriers like Southwest, American and United, along with international carriers, have had to park their existing fleets of 737 Max jets, as others await delivery of new jets that are flown straight from the Renton factory into storage.
Flight cancellations for carriers now extend into the busy summer travel season.
"We know we have work to do to regain their confidence and the confidence of the flying public," McAllister added.
When the 737 Max will resume commercial flights remains unknown. Boeing said their update, which many call a "fix" to the MCAS software, is done.
But the FAA, which is the primary regulatory agency overseeing the 737 Max has yet to conduct its own tests with its own pilots aboard the seven test aircraft in Seattle.