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Boeing late Monday announced that it was officially withdrawing a request with the Federal Aviation Administration to allow its yet-to-be certified 737 Max 7 to use the same safety workaround as existing Max 8 and 9 aircraft to protect against a scenario in which use of the aircraft’s deicing system in dry conditions could lead to a dangerously overheated engine inlet.
Related: Boeing’s 737 Inlet Issue drags on Max 7 certification
The issue, formally revealed as part of an FAA Airworthiness Directive in August 2023, caused the aircraft’s certification to risk slipping into 2024 and has continued to plague the aircraft in the shadow of ongoing quality assurance problems at Boeing. The company formally requested the Time Limited Exemption (TLE) in November 2023 to give itself until May 2026 to field a formal fix for the Max 7 and other Max family members. The FAA AD from August permits 737 Max 8s and 9s to fly without the fix, with the regulator approving a Boeing mitigation by requiring the crew to remember to deactivate the anti-ice should it be flying in dry air.
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