Is there finally a fix for Boeing?

BOEING says it has a fix for the B737 MAX 8 jet that is currently grounded worldwide. This relates to a software fix for the MCAS (Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System), which is believed to have sent two planes into a fatal nosedive. This should be good news for travellers. Is it?

Airlines that are haemorrhaging money with aircraft idling on the ground - and shall have to spend yet more money on advertising and PR to reassure passengers their planes are safe - would be glad to get their birds in the air but not without solid evidence that the patch will work. The risks are too high. Three major Chinese carriers - Air China, China Southern and China Eastern - perhaps prodded by the fractious US-China trade impasse, fired the first salvo demanding compensation for the grounded B737 MAX 8 jets. Others will follow.

While bullish about its fix, Boeing has failed to assume any clear responsibility for the crashes. Chief executive Dennis Muilenburg, who finally appeared on television half a year after the Lion Air crash in an egregiously botched PR exercise, continued to deflect the discussion towards pilot error - a tack the manufacturer has consistently taken.