US FAA set to convene review of Boeing 737 MAX software issue on Friday

​The US Federal Aviation Administration is set ​to convene a safety review ‌on ​Friday of a software issue that could prevent pilots of Boeing 737 MAX airplanes from accessing automated flight guidance during one landing ‌scenario.

The FAA is scheduled to convene a Corrective Action Review Board to review the issue. Airline officials told Reuters they do not believe the board will determine the issue poses a ‌safety concern. The FAA said this week it was delaying certification of the 737 MAX ‌10 until it completed its analysis. On Wednesday, airline officials took part in a meeting with Boeing on the issue. They said they did not believe the board will find a safety issue.

If the board clears ⁠the ​plane, officials said the ⁠MAX 10 could be certified later this month. Boeing did not immediately comment.

On Wednesday, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy ⁠said he did not currently see any safety concern stemming from the software issue. He added the ​agency saw no need to ground the 737 MAX fleet over the issue. On Saturday, ⁠Boeing said it had informed operators and was developing a software update to permanently address the problem. It could ⁠also ​propose additional training for pilots, it said.

On Wednesday, Duffy compared the issue to an update on a smartphone, adding that the software update "hasn't been flagged for us as a ⁠safety issue." Earlier, the FAA said the software version can increase pilot workload when doing a ⁠go-around, where a ⁠pilot aborts a landing attempt, applies power, and climbs back into the sky to try to land again.

Timing of the FAA board meeting ‌was reported ‌earlier by Bloomberg.