Boeing reported another problem with the fuselages of some of its 737 planes that could lead to delays in deliveries of about 50 planes, in a new quality problem affecting the company.
In a letter to Boeing staff seen Monday, Boeing Commercial Aircraft Division CEO Stan Deal said Spirit AeroSystems, one of the company’s major suppliers, detected poorly drilled holes in the fuselages. Spirit AeroSystems, based in Wichita, Kansas, manufactures many of the fuselages for Boeing Max aircraft.
“Although this possible situation is not an immediate safety problem and all 737s can continue to operate safely, we believe that we will have to carry out reviews on about 50 aircraft not yet delivered,” Deal said in the letter to employees, shared with the media.
The problem was discovered by an employee at the airframe supplier, who reported to his supervisor that two holes had not been drilled to specifications, Deal said.
Both Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems face intense scrutiny for the quality of their work after an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 plane was forced to make an emergency landing on January 5 when a panel covering a gap in a side door He was blown out of the plane shortly after takeoff in Portland, Oregon.
Boeing under federal scrutiny
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the incident, while the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is seeking to determine whether Boeing and its suppliers followed quality control procedures.
Shares of The Boeing Co., which had previously lost 20% this year, fell another 2% before the trading bell on Monday.
Problems with Boeing planes have opened a possible rift with some of its largest customers. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said last month that the airline will consider alternative aircraft in the future, and his Alaska Airlines counterpart Ben Minicucci told NBC Nightly News that “I am beyond frustrated and disappointed. I’m angry.”
Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, the only U.S. airlines using the Max 9, said they found loose parts in the door panels of other planes they inspected after the incident. The FAA grounded all Max 9s in the United States the day after the event. Two weeks later, the agency approved the inspection and maintenance process to get them flying again.
Alaska Airlines and United Airlines have begun to reinstate some to their services.
Boeing, based in Arlington, Virginia, indicated last week that it was withdrawing a request for a safety waiver needed to ratify a new, smaller model of the 737 Max plane. Boeing had asked federal regulators late last year to allow it to deliver its 737 Max 7 to customers even though it fails to meet a safety standard designed to prevent the engine casing from overheating and rupturing during flight. .
Source: AP.
