Boeing is investigating a new problem with its 737 Max aircraft. According to the company’s current assessment, around 50 machines that have not yet been delivered need to be reworked.
A supplier informed Boeing that two holes in the fuselage of some aircraft may not have been drilled exactly according to requirements, the aircraft manufacturer said.
Caption: A 737 Max aircraft at the Boeing factory in Renton, Washington. Archive/REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson/File Photo
At the same time, the head of the passenger aircraft division, Stan Deal, emphasized that the “potential problem” did not represent an immediate problem for flight safety and that the 737 aircraft could continue to operate.
Not the first problem
Boeing’s quality controls are currently in particular focus after a fuselage part of an Alaska Airlines 737-9 Max came off in flight at the beginning of January. The inmates escaped with horror. During inspections, loose fasteners were also found on other aircraft of the variant. Around 170 aircraft of the affected variant have only recently been allowed to take off again after inspections.
The US aviation regulator FAA announced stricter controls at Boeing after the incident – and some airlines also want to send their own inspectors to the production lines. Boeing boss Dave Calhoun assured that the company would improve quality supervision.
Legend: Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun, here in Washington at the end of January. Keystone/AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
Boeing has the fuselage of the 737 aircraft manufactured by the supplier Spirit Aerosystems, which was once part of the group. Deliveries of 737 aircraft had to be interrupted last year due to faulty boreholes. The problem caused by Spirit was in the pressure bulkhead that closes off the rear of the aircraft cabin.