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Boeing finishes fixes to troubled safety system on 737 MAX

Boeing says it has completed required 737 MAX test flights with an upgraded safety system and can now move forward with FAA certification.

Boeing has completed software fixes to a safety system that is linked to two deadly 737 MAX crashes.

The aerospace giant announced Thursday that it has flown the 737 MAX for 360 hours on 207 flights with the updated Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS).

“We’re making clear and steady progress and are confident that the 737 MAX with updated MCAS software will be one of the safest airplanes ever to fly,” Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg said in a statement. “The accidents have only intensified our commitment to our values, including safety, quality and integrity, because we know lives depend on what we do.”

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MCAS is intended to keep the plane from pitching up and stalling. However, it may have led pilots to lose control of the airliners in the Lion Air crash in October and the Ethiopian Airlines crash in March, which together killed 346 people.

The Ethiopia crash prompted a wave of groundings of the 737 MAX.

Boeing says it will now give the Federal Aviation Administration information on how pilots interact with the airplane controls and displays in different scenarios. The company says it has also created new training and education materials, which are being reviewed by the FAA.

Once the FAA has reviewed the changes, it can schedule a test flight to certify the aircraft.

WATCH: Complete coverage of Boeing 737 MAX crashes

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