Boeing Co. is plotting a low-key comeback for the 737 Max, the grounded jetliner that has spent almost two years engulfed in controversy and tragedy after two fatal crashes, said people familiar with the matter.

The top U.S. aviation regulator plans to test fly Boeing Co.’s grounded 737 Max on Sept. 30 in an attempt to show an antsy public that proposed fixes will be safe, according to a person familiar with the plans.

Boeing Co.’s push to return the grounded 737 Max jet to the skies by year’s end got a boost from European regulators, who said they expect to sign off on their safety review by November.

Boeing Co. has slowed deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner as crews check for a new manufacturing flaw involving gaps in the horizontal stabilizer, the small wing in the aircraft tail.

Boeing Co.’s lousy year got even worse in July, as lost orders for the grounded 737 Max topped 400 and the coronavirus pandemic stymied shipments of the 787 Dreamliner.

Federal regulators on Aug. 3 outlined a list of design changes they will require in the Boeing 737 Max to fix safety issues that were discovered after two deadly crashes that led to the worldwide grounding of the plane.

Boeing Co. 737 planes in storage because of the coronavirus pandemic are at risk of losing power in both engines when they fly again and must be inspected, aviation regulators said.

U.S. aviation regulators announced an important milestone in returning Boeing Co.’s grounded 737 Max jet to service, an event one person familiar with the process said would happen no earlier than October.

Boeing Co.’s order stockpile shrank further last month as airlines and lessors backed out of commitments for the grounded 737 Max jetliner in a market devastated by the coronavirus pandemic.

Boeing Co. said it settled 90% of the wrongful death claims filed in a U.S. court over the 2018 crash of a 737 Max jet operated by Lion Air.