An aerial view of the engines and fuselage of an unpainted Boeing 737 MAX parked in storage at King County International Airport-Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington June 1, 2022.
Lindsey Wasson | Reuters
BoeingThe warning that production quality issues will delay deliveries of the best-selling 737 Max jets is one more headache for airlines clamoring for brand spanking new planes to handle a surge in air traffic ahead of the height season.
Two of several supports within the rear fuselage of some 737 Max aircraft, including the most well-liked Max 8, are affected.
Boeing has a backlog of 4,196 Max planes, in line with a list on its website. Boeing revealed the production problem on Thursday but didn’t say what number of planes were affected or how long deliveries could be delayed. The current aircraft delivery schedule extends into the second half of the last decade.
hull supplier, Spirit Aerosystems, Boeing and the FAA said the difficulty didn’t impact flight safety. However, solving this problem can mean time-consuming additional work. The two brackets in query are contained in the aircraft and, in line with an individual accustomed to the matter, will not be as easily accessible as they’re outside the fuselage.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun is prone to comment on the matter at the corporate’s annual shareholder meeting on Tuesday. Boeing revealed the issue just weeks after an executive said it was preparing to extend jet production from the present rate of 31 a month.
Long delays could be bad news for airlines already crippled by a worldwide shortage of latest aircraft. They could also hurt Boeing’s plan to enhance money flow, as airlines pay a lot of the price of an aircraft upon delivery.
“It doesn’t appear like it’ll be a very invasive fix, but then again, I feel everyone seems to be a bit scared by the recent experience,” said Richard Aboulafia, managing director of AeroDynamics Advisory.
Southwest Airlineswhich operates an all-Boeing 737 fleet, said it was discussing the impact of the difficulty with the manufacturer.
“Boeing has contacted us about a difficulty with a supplier’s manufacturing process that can affect the delivery of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to Southwest,” the corporate said in a Thursday statement. “We expect this to affect our current delivery schedule; we’re in talks with Boeing to grasp what that impact can be in 2023 and beyond.”
CEO Bob Jordan said during a earnings call in January that the airline expects about 90 Max aircraft this 12 months, downgrading its forecast from 100 “in light of recent talks with Boeing and ongoing challenges in the availability chain.”
american airlines he said he was also discussing the issue with Boeing. According to a 2022 report, the airline has 88 Max aircraft on order.
Both carriers plan to report the outcomes on April 27, when they may likely face questions on the difficulty.
United Airlines.
The problem is the newest in a string of quality issues and aircraft delays at Boeing, which also affected the 787 Dreamliner.
The worldwide grounding and production hiatus of the 737 Max followed two fatal Max accidents. After planes were allowed to fly again and production resumed, the pandemic threw the industry into chaos because it caused a money haemorrhage and the lack of 1000’s of expert employees.
