Boeing to update software for 737 max soon

Boeing Co said on Sunday it was finalizing the development of a software upgrade and a revision of pilot training for its 737 MAX, the plane that has suffered two fatal crashes in the last five months.

The updates are intended to address how the aircraft's flight control system - MCAS (Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System) - responds to erroneous sensor inputs, the planemaker said here in a statement.

The documents confirm the software update will limit the operation of the controversial MCAS system.

That was being used by a Lion Air 737 Max which crashed off the coast of Indonesia last year.

A 737 MAX 8 operated by Ethiopian Airlines crashed shortly after take-off on March 10, killing all 157 on board.

Ethiopia said on Sunday the crash had “clear similarities” with a Lion Air crash in Indonesia in October, according to initial analysis of the black boxes recovered from the wreckage of the March 10 disaster.

Concern over the plane’s safety caused aviation authorities worldwide to ground the model.

Boeing's Dennis Muilenburg, who is the chairman, president, and chief executive of the company, said in an open letter: "Soon we'll release a software update and related pilot training for the 737 MAX that will address concerns discovered in the aftermath of the Lion Air Flight 610 accident."

He said the company had been working in "full co-operation" with the relevant authorities and regulators.

One idea for revised training is an additional 10-15 minute iPad course that would explain the new software, according to Dennis Tajer, a spokesman for the American Airlines pilot union and a 737 pilot.

However, specific new pilot training is not expected to be defined until the software fix is in place, industry sources said.

Boeing plans to release upgraded software for its 737 MAX in a week to 10 days, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday.