US transport secretary says 737 MAX software issue is not a safety concern

The US transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, said a recently identified software anomaly on the Boeing 737 MAX fleet does not amount to an operational safety problem, and that there is no need to take the aircraft out of service while regulators work through the technical impact of the fault.

Speaking to journalists in Washington on Wednesday, Duffy said he currently sees no safety concern arising from the software issue. "If there were something like 'hey, we have a safety problem', we would have a different response," he said, adding that the department has learned that failing to respond quickly can lead to bad outcomes.

He likened the pending software correction to a routine smartphone update, and said the case has not so far been classed as a safety problem, with no suspension of operations for the aircraft family under consideration.

The situation stems from a notification Boeing sent on Saturday, telling regulators that a version of software on certain aircraft in the 737 MAX line could prevent pilots from reaching the automated flight guidance system under a specific landing scenario.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the software version involved can increase pilot workload during a go-around. The agency has previously described the sequence of events surrounding the manoeuvre in detail.

Regulators are still assessing the technical impact of the fault.