Senator Blumenthal says Boeing rushed to get the 737 Max into the air to compete with Europe's Airbus, so critical safety features were disregarded. Cruz, who chairs the subcommittee, says the crashes have raised questions about FAA oversight of how airplanes are certified to fly. 12:20 p.m.Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao is defending President Donald Trump and blamed Congress for what she calls a delay in nominating a permanent head of the Federal Aviation Administration. ___10:25 a.m.Southwest Airlines says that the government's grounding of all Boeing Max 8 jets will contribute to a $150 million revenue loss in the first quarter. Among those expected to testify before the Senate aviation subcommittee Wednesday is the Transportation Department's inspector general, who is leading a review of the FAA and Boeing.

Source: Ethiopian News March 27, 2019 19:52 UTC