“Boeing has made corrections to the 737 MAX simulator software and has provided additional information to device operators to ensure that the simulator experience is representative across different flight conditions,” it said in a statement.

The company did not indicate when it first became aware of the problem, and whether it informed regulators.

Its statement marked the first time Boeing acknowledged there was a design flaw in software linked to the 737 MAX, whose MCAS anti-stall software has been blamed in large part for the Ethiopian Airlines tragedy.

According to Boeing, the flight simulator software was incapable of reproducing certain flight conditions similar to those at the time of the Ethiopian Airlines crash in March or the Lion Air crash in October.

The company said the latest “changes will improve the simulation of force loads on the manual trim wheel,” a rarely used manual wheel to control the plane’s angle.

“Boeing is working closely with the device manufacturers and regulators on these changes and improvements, and to ensure that customer training is not disrupted,” it added.

Southwest Airlines, a major 737 MAX customer with 34 of the aircraft in its fleet, told AFP it expected to receive the first simulator “late this year.”

American Airlines, which has 24 of the aircraft, said it had ordered a 737 MAX simulator that will be delivered and put into operation in December.

“As a result of the continuing investigation into both aircraft accidents, we are looking at the potential for additional training opportunities in coordination with the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and Allied Pilots Association,” it added.

Certification process 

The planes have been grounded around the world, awaiting approval from US and international regulators before they can return to service.

Only Air Canada has a MAX simulator, industry sources told AFP.

Currently, there is only one flight simulator specific to the 737 MAX in the United States, and it is owned by Boeing, according to FAA documentation.

US airlines train their pilots flying the MAX on a simulator built for the 737 NG, the version preceding the 737 MAX in the 737 aircraft family.

Southwest said that’s because during the certification process for the MAX, Boeing stressed that there were only minor differences with the NG and simple computer and online training could accommodate for the differences.

The FAA, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and Canadian regulators had approved those recommendations, Boeing stresses.

However, the 737 NG lacks an MCAS, specially designed for the MAX in order to correct an aerodynamic anomaly due to its heavier motor and to prevent the plane from stalling.

Pilot training will likely be at the heart of the meeting of international regulators in Forth Worth, Texas on Thursday when the FAA will try convince its counterparts of the robustness of its certification process for the modified 737 MAX.

The American regulator has maintained that training pilots on a simulator is not essential, a position with which pilots and its Canadian counterpart disagree.

Boeing said Thursday that it completed its software update on the 737 MAX.

The proposed fix, which addresses a problem with a flight handling system thought to be a factor in both crashes, must now win approval from US and international regulators before the planes can return to service.

US airlines have targeted August as the date they expect to resume flying on the 737 MAX.

The bodybuilder and former politician was chatting with fans at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg when a man took a flying leap and kicked him high in the back.

“Thanks for your concerns, but there is nothing to worry about,” Schwarzenegger, 71, said on Twitter.

“I thought I was just jostled by the crowd, which happens a lot. I only realized I was kicked when I saw the video like all of you. I’m just glad the idiot didn’t interrupt my Snapchat.” Schwarzenegger was in Johannesburg for the annual Arnold Classic Africa, an international multi-sports festival.

“He was sadly and unexpectedly attacked by a crazed fan as he was doing a walk-through to support athletes,” the organisers said, adding the attacker – who was immediately apprehended – was known to police for similar incidents in the past.

Guterres has spent the past week in the region pushing for urgent action ahead of a UN summit in September billed as a last chance to prevent irreversible climate change.

According to the UN, Vanuatu is the world’s most at-risk country from natural hazards, but Guterres said it was also “leading the way” with is resilience.

At a joint press conference with Vanuatu’s Prime Minister Charlot Salwai, Guterres praised the way the country had bounced back from the catastrophic Cyclone Pam which lashed the archipelago in 2015.

It claimed at least 15 lives, flattened villages and impacted nearly half the 300,000 population.

“It is clear that the Pacific is on the frontline of climate change even though they don’t contribute to climate change,” Guterres told AFP, referring to low-lying Pacific islands which are threatened by rising sea levels.

“So the Pacific has the moral authority to offer a lesson for the rest of the world. We absolutely need to save the Pacific to save the world.”

The UN target is to limit rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial revolution levels and Guterres urged governments “to understand that we need transformative measures, in industry, in agriculture and in relation to the oceans”.

“I believe it is time to recognise that we need to shift taxation away from people to carbon and pollution instead,” he said.

“We need to stop subsidies for fossil fuels. It doesn’t make any sense that taxpayers’ money is contributing to increased storms, the spread of drought, glaciers melting, corals bleaching and putting these islands in danger.”

“Some say Democrats don’t want to hear about unity. That they are angry — and the angrier you are, the better,” Biden will say at a campaign rally in Philadelphia, according to speech excerpts.

“I don’t believe it,” he will tell the crowd, adding that he is running for president to offer Democrats and Republicans alike a “different path” towards unity.

“If the American people want a president to add to our division, to lead with a clenched fist, closed hand and a hard heart, to demonize the opponents and spew hatred, they don’t need me. They already have a president who does just that.”

Biden, 76, sits atop the pack of 2020 contenders, relishing his prime position.

No one knows whether the man who served as number two to popular Democratic president Barack Obama for eight years will run away with this contest — his third White House bid in as many decades — or fade out in the months-long test of political skill and stamina to come.

But the former longtime senator and lion of the Democratic Party is gearing up for what is certain to be a titanic battle against Trump.

After a month of modest events at union halls and pizza joints in early-voting states like Iowa, Biden is counting on making a splash at a rally in Philadelphia, the largest city in must-win Pennsylvania, a state Trump snatched from Democrats in 2016.

He has made Philadelphia his campaign headquarters, in a sign of the importance he places on winning back the state for his party in 2020.

Biden will acknowledge that the country fell short of its ideals early on.

“Equality. Equity. Fairness. America didn’t live up to that promise for most of its people, for people of color, for women,” he will say.

The kickoff is near the Philadelphia art museum steps immortalized by the scrappy boxer’s run in the movie “Rocky.”

Biden was born and raised in Pennsylvania, and the rally is a nod to his modest roots.

But far from being the underdog, Biden is looking to cement his status as the man to beat, the blue-collar voter whisperer who is best positioned to defeat Trump.

And while his delayed race entry drew criticism that he might not be ready to mount an energized campaign, the slow-and-steady strategy appears to be paying off.

Polls give Biden a growing lead over the 22 other hopefuls.

The latest RealClearPolitics aggregate puts him at 39.1 percent support, more than double the 16.4 percent of his nearest rival, liberal Senator Bernie Sanders.

No one else is in double digits.

After a deeply divisive 2016 race, Democratic voters may be looking for an antidote to Trump, the brash politically inexperienced billionaire.

“What matters to them at the moment is a safe choice, a known entity,” Lara Brown, director of George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management, told AFP.

Biden’s celebrity rivals that of Trump. But as voters start paying more attention, Biden — who to date has campaigned mostly in broad strokes — will be under pressure to flesh out positions on everything from health care and wages to immigration.

Blue-collar appeal

Biden’s dominance has already changed the race’s dynamic, with its early stars like senators Sanders, Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren forced to play catch up, and leveling criticism at the frontrunner.

They are expected to ramp up criticism of Biden as the embodiment of the Washington establishment.

Several rivals are from a newer generation, putting them at odds with the old-school Biden.

And while candidates are honing their messages at town halls and meet-and-greets, Biden has opted for more protected environments.

“Let’s see what happens when he’s taking questions that haven’t been vetted,” Brown said, noting Biden has faced criticism from liberal groups following reports he was planning to unveil a “middle ground” approach to tackling climate change.

Biden has aligned himself closely with Obama, drawing major support from African American voters.

He also styles himself, like Trump, as an ardent defender of working class Americans, someone who can win back the Midwestern white, male blue-collar voters who went for the Republican in 2016.

Trump has insisted he does not see Biden “as a threat.”

But he has bestowed a harsh nickname on his rival — “Sleepy Joe” — and has scheduled a campaign rally for Monday in northern Pennsylvania, just 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Scranton, where Biden was born and raised.