aircraft builder
New problem with Boeing’s medium-haul jet 737 Max
The 737 MAX final assembly line at Boeing’s Renton, Washington, facility. photo
© Ellen M. Banner/The Seattle Times pool/AP/dpa
According to Boeing, the shortcomings are with an important supplier, it is about a “significant number” of machines that have not yet been delivered. Investors are nervous.
The US airline Boeing has found a new problem with its former crisis plane 737 Max. The company announced on Thursday (local time) that deliveries would have to be curtailed due to manufacturing defects and the necessary inspections. Boeing explained that it is not an acute safety risk and does not affect the 737 Max fleet in flight operations. However, the problem affects a “significant number” of machines that have not yet been handed over to customers and are still in production. The US Air Traffic Control Authority FAA has been informed.
According to Boeing, it is about deficiencies that were noticed at the important supplier Spirit AeroSystems, which manufactures the fuselages of many of the medium-haul jets. Investors reacted nervously and initially dropped Boeing’s shares by around four percent in after-hours trading. The 737 Max series is Boeing’s most popular model series. She had already caused enormous difficulties for the Airbus rivals because of two crashes due to technical defects, in which a total of 346 people died in 2018 and 2019. The crisis in the US group surrounding the 737 Max debacle actually seemed to be largely over.