“No acute safety risk”
Boeing again reports problems with 737 Max fleet
04/14/2023, 07:30 am
It is not the first time that Boeing’s medium-haul jet 737 Max has been noticed as a crisis aircraft. In 2018 and 2019, it temporarily dominated the headlines when two machines crashed due to technical defects. Now the US aviation company reports defects again – and stops delivery.
The US aircraft manufacturer Boeing has identified a new problem with its former crisis plane 737 Max. The company said deliveries had to be curtailed due to manufacturing defects and necessary inspections. Boeing explained that it is not an acute safety risk and does not affect the 737 Max fleet in flight operations.
In-service aircraft could continue to be used. However, the problem affects a “significant number” of aircraft that have not yet been handed over to customers but are still in production or in storage, the company said. 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 – Boeing shares fell 5.3 percent in after-hours trading after the announcement and Spirit AeroSystems shares fell 11.8 percent. The 737 Max series is Boeing’s most popular model series. It had 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.