American pushes back expected return of 737 Max planes to March

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — American Airlines is pushing back the expected return of its Boeing 737 Max jets into next year.

The airline said that it expects to slowly bring the plane back into its schedule starting in March, which means the planes would stay out of service for a full year. It's the seventh time the airline has pushed back the plane's return.

[READ MORE: American extends Boeing 737 Max cancellations through December]

Fort Worth-based American says it will drop about 140 flights per day until March because of the grounding.

American has 24 Max jets in storage and expected to have 40 by the end of the year. American has about 950 jets, not counting smaller American Eagle planes.

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The Max has been grounded worldwide for nearly seven months after two crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed 346 people.

Preliminary findings revealed a failed sensor may have caused a flight control system to misfire -- the pilots fighting to regain control of the aircraft while dealing with a flurry of alarms as the nose continuously pitched down -- scenarios that were never tested in flight simulators or certification flights.

Boeing is working on changes to flight-control software and computers.

In an interview with ABC News last month, the head of the FAA said no commercial carrier would fly the 737 Max until he was completely assured that it was safe.

Other U.S. carriers -- United Airlines and Southwest -- have not announced when they will return their Max fleets to service.

Cox Media Group