GENEVA — Airlines face significant problems if the return to service of the Boeing 737 MAX drags on for months longer, the head of the International Air Transport Association said on Wednesday. IATA Director General Alexandre de Juniac told Reuters many airlines could cope with the latest delay in the plane's return announced earlier on Wednesday, but were nearing the end of their ability to manage the shutdown smoothly. The head of IATA, whose 290 airlines represent 82% of global traffic, was speaking shortly after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said the jet would not return to service in 2019. Reacting to the latest delay, de Juniac said, "For some of our members it is disruptive because they have a lot of planes grounded (or) on order, but they have been able to cope with that. They are not happy of course but they are not in despair."

Source: International New York Times December 11, 2019 18:33 UTC