Key events in the troubled history of the Boeing 737 Max

Boeing’s 737 Max is a more fuel-efficient version of the American aerospace company’s popular 737, the best-selling airliner ever. Airlines have flown Max jets for just seven years, but in that short time two of them crashed, killing 346 people, and the plane has become a symbol of safety concerns swirling around Boeing.

Regulators around the world grounded all Max jets in March 2019, after the second crash. That led to the ousting of Boeing’s CEO. His successor announced plans to step down after the Federal Aviation Administration grounded a particular model of the Max in January, when a panel covering an unused emergency exit blew off an Alaska Airlines Max in flight.

The blowout led to government investigations, including a criminal probe by the Justice Department.

Here is a timeline of key events in the history of the Max:

August 2011: Boeing announces the Max, a 737 with larger engines, instead of designing a new plane to compete with the A320neo from rival Airbus.

August 2015: The first 737 Max plane rolls off the production line.

January 2016: The 737 Max takes its first test flight.

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