Trouble at Boeing again: According to a former employee, the US aircraft manufacturer is said to have ignored quality problems during production. Meanwhile, the series of breakdowns is throwing the company far behind Airbus.
Boeing has to defend itself against new allegations about the quality of its aircraft. The company rejected criticism from an employee that some 787 “Dreamliner” machines could have a shortened service life because the company had taken technical “shortcuts” to speed up production. A Boeing spokesman emphasized that the claims were incorrect and had already been investigated under the supervision of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Investigations by Aviation Authority and Senate
Nevertheless, after the allegations became known, the company is facing new public debates about its quality supervision. The FAA says it met with the whistleblower. The aviation authority is looking into allegations from a whistleblower that Boeing ignored safety and quality problems in the production of the 787 jets, a spokesman said.
The Boeing engineer’s lawyers announced that their client had drawn attention to technical problems that affected the structural integrity of the aircraft. Boeing is also said to have used an abbreviated process to reduce bottlenecks in 787 assembly. “Instead of heeding his warnings, Boeing has prioritized bringing the aircraft to market as quickly as possible, despite the known, well-founded issues he raised,” the statement said.
A subcommittee of the US Senate is now planning a hearing with the former Boeing employee as a witness for the middle of next week. The chairman, Democrat Richard Blumenthal, also wants to invite CEO Dave Calhoun. Boeing stated that it was prepared to provide statements and documents and was in discussions with the subcommittee about further steps.
There are always incidents with Boeing planes
Boeing has been struggling with quality problems and manufacturing defects in its aircraft for a long time. After several incidents, the group is in crisis. At the beginning of January, a fuselage fragment on row 26 of a virtually new Boeing 737-9 Max from the US airline Alaska Airlines broke off shortly after take-off while climbing. Fortunately, the two seats near the hole in the fuselage remained empty and the aircraft was still at a relatively low altitude.
After initial investigations, the accident investigation authority NTSB now assumes that four fastening bolts were missing from the fuselage part. There are indications that the fragment continued to slide up until it broke out on the machine’s 154th flight, said NTSB chief Jennifer Homendy in a recent hearing in the US Senate. After the incident, Boeing must present a plan to improve quality controls and CEO Calhoun announced his withdrawal.
At the weekend there were again problems with a machine from the US aircraft manufacturer. A 737-800 en route to Houston, Texas, was forced to turn around in mid-air on Sunday after the crew reported that an engine cowling came off during takeoff and hit a wing flap.
Boeing delivers far fewer aircraft than Airbus
In view of the numerous scandals, the US aircraft manufacturer is currently falling further and further behind the market leader Airbus. In March, European manufacturer Airbus delivered 63 commercial aircraft, more than twice as many as its US rival, according to statements from both companies. Airbus boss Guillaume Faury still has to stretch his goal of 800 aircraft deliveries this year – after the first three months of the year, only 142 have been achieved.
However, Boeing is struggling with completely different problems after the near-miss. The US company has been under stricter supervision by the authorities since January and is no longer allowed to expand the production of its medium-haul jets from the 737 Max series for the time being. In the first quarter, government controls set the company back sharply.
Boeing only delivered 66 copies of its most popular aircraft type, around 60 percent less than a year earlier. Across all types, the company handed over 83 passenger and cargo aircraft to its customers, including 29 in March. Aside from the 737 Max, the majority of deliveries in the first quarter of 13 jets were of the long-haul model 787 “Dreamliner”.