US carrier American Airlines is reportedly planning to bring the Boeing 737 MAX back to service for passengers by the end of this year.

The airline plans to operate a daily 737 Max flight between Miami and New York from 29 December to 4 January, Reuters reported.

American expects to commence flight bookings from 24 October. This will depend on the certification of the aircraft from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Reuters quoted the carrier as saying: “We remain in contact with the FAA and Boeing on the certification process and we’ll continue to update our plans based on when the aircraft is certified.”

Meanwhile, the FAA in a statement revealed that it has no timeline for approving the aircraft’s return to service.

The agency said it ‘will lift the grounding order only after FAA safety experts are satisfied that the aircraft meets certification standards’.

Last month, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) expected the grounded Boeing 737 MAX to secure regulatory approval to resume flights in November after conducting flight tests.

In March last year, Boeing temporarily grounded the 737 MAX aircraft following two fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia that killed 346 people.

Earlier this month, US FAA Administrator Steve Dickson completed the new recommended pilot training for the grounded Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.