How boeing 737 Max's delay will affect UAE airlines.

• Position: Flydubai of Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The return to flying by Boeing's 737 Max jet will be delayed further with the US aviation regulator uncovering a possible new flaw in the jinxed aircraft that had been banned from flying after two fatal crashes.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it had identified the "potential risk" during simulator tests, but did not reveal details.

The new setback means that some of the carriers operating in the Gulf sector will continue to face challenges in swinging back to normal operation.

In the UAE, only flydubai had been operating Boeing's top-selling narrow-body aircraft until it grounded all of them - 11 Boeing 737 Max 8 and two Boeing Max 9 - in March resulting in the cancellation of several flights. The budget carrier has on order 251 Max planes.

"On the most recent issue, the FAA's process is designed to discover and highlight potential risks. The FAA recently found a potential risk that Boeing must mitigate," the FAA said in a tweet.

In May, the FAA indicated that approval of Boeing's changes to the 737 Max could come in late June, facilitating test flights by early July.

Boeing shares were down by 2.8 per cent in trading on Thursday. The stock had fallen as far as 6.9 per cent in pre-market trade from Wednesday's close of $374.94 a share but regained some lost ground.

Aviation industry initially expected to have 737 Max back in the air during the summer, but that timetable was pushed back to...