Earlier this year, Boeing executives suggested that if the grounding persisted beyond this year, the company would consider shutting down the Max production line. Such a move would have enormous economic consequences, most likely resulting in sweeping job losses at Boeing and many of its suppliers. Yet even if the Max does return to the skies early next year and Boeing avoids shutting down the production line, the grounding’s effect will linger for years. Boeing has a backlog of hundreds of planes to deliver, a process that could take more than a year. In July, The New York Times reported that before the Max was approved in 2017, managers at the F.A.A.

Source: New York Times November 27, 2019 19:29 UTC