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The 737 MAX was grounded globally in March
after a crash in Ethiopia killed all 157 people on board, the
model's second deadly crash in five months.
"We do not expect something before 10 to 12 weeks in re-entry
into service," IATA Director General Alexandre de Juniac told
reporters in Seoul. "But it is not our hands. That is in the
hands of regulators."
IATA plans to organize a summit with airlines, regulators and
Boeing in 5 to 7 weeks to discuss what is needed for the 737 MAX
to return to service, he said.
The airline industry has had a tough six months with fuel, labor
and infrastructure costs increasing and trade tensions rising in
addition to the 737 MAX grounding, de Juniac said.
IATA's December forecast for $35.5 billion in industry profits
in 2019 is expected to be lowered in an update at its annual
meeting in Seoul on June 2.
At an IATA meeting for 737 MAX operators in Montreal last week,
airline members said they wanted regulators to cooperate closely
on the decision for the plane's re-entry to service, de Juniac
said.
"We hope that they will align their timeframe," he said of
regulators.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) expects to approve the
jet's return to service as soon as late June, representatives of
the U.S. air regulator informed members of the United Nations'
aviation agency in a private briefing last week, sources told
Reuters.
U.S. operators United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and American
Airlines have removed the planes from their flight schedules
until early to mid August.
(Reporting by Heekyong Yang in Seoul; additional reporting and
writing by Jamie Freed in Singapore; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
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