Learning from Ethiopian and Indonesian plane crashes, Boeing has taken measures to prevent future crashes.
Its 737 MAX planes, which were involved in the Lion Air incident in Indonesia and more recently the Ethiopian Airline crash, have been grounded world-wide.
During a carefully-managed media event, in which Boeing refused to take any on camera or on the record questions, Boeing’s vice president of product strategy Mike Sinnett said in a prepared statement: “We’re going to do everything that we can do to ensure that accidents like these never happen again.
“We’re working with customers and regulators…to restore faith in our industry and also to reaffirm our commitment to safety and to earning the trust of the flying public.”
The two crashes have been described by experts as similar, with both planes plunging towards the earth shortly after take-off.
Investigators said the Lion Air pilots battled in vain to over-ride the manoeuvring characteristics augmentation system (MCAS) which was fed faulty data and repeatedly pushed the nose of the aircraft down.
Boeing says its new fixes make MCAS less powerful and less prone to error, as well as making it easier for the flight crew to monitor whether the sensors that feed MCAS information are accurate.
The company has also proposed extra computer-based training for pilots, although it will not be recommending time in a simulator.
Boeing continues to build its MAX planes but cannot say when they will return to service.
That decision will be made by regulators across the world who will have to re-certify the aircraft as safe.
America’s regulator, the Federal Aviation Authority, is under huge pressure to explain itself.
Politicians have accused it of giving Boeing too much freedom to certify the MAX aircraft before it took to the skies.
In a Senate Transportation Committee hearing, senator Richard Blumenthal said to the acting head of the FAA Dan Elwell: “The fact is that the FAA decided to do safety on the cheap which is neither cheap nor safe, and put the fox in charge of the hen house.”
Senator Ted Cruz said: “The fact of the matter is these crashes and subsequent reports on how the 737 (MAX) was approved have badly shaken consumer confidence.
“The certification process for planes and the close relationships between industry and regulator threaten to erode trust in the entire system.”
In a statement the American Airlines pilots’ union told Sky News: “We are optimistic with the progress, but cautious.
“We don’t want to see the certification fast-tracked.
“We are looking forward to the return of the MAX, but only when all stakeholders are certain that it is ready.”