Boeing has detected another problem with the fuselages of the 737 Max aircraft that may delay fifty deliveries and add more pressure on its business. A new setback for the American manufacturer after the incident with a door that detached in mid-flight and other safety failures seen later.
An employee at Spirit AeroSystems, the supplier that manufactures many of the fuselages, this week discovered poorly made rivet holes in the fuselage, which did not meet the company’s specifications and standards. Specifically, they would be located in the frame of a window and have been detected in 22 of 47 fuselages inspected until Friday, Reuters specifies. In addition, they could occur on aircraft that are already operating.
“While it is not an immediate safety issue and all 737s can continue to operate safely, we will have to rework about 50 undelivered aircraft,” acknowledged Boeing commercial CEO Stan Deal in a statement. a letter to employees made public this Sunday. A setback that could further slow deliveries of a key program, already restricted by regulators due to quality failures. The planes will now have to be serviced, requiring extra time for inspections and repairs.
The 737 Max were grounded after the Alaska Airlines flight incident at the beginning of the year. Although they have already flown again, the new problem does not clear up doubts. The US aviation authorities opened an investigation into the company in mid-January to check the quality controls it has in place. An interim report on the door incident is expected to be published this week, which should clarify whether latches were missing or incorrectly fitted.
Following the incident and the intervention of the authorities, Boeing’s production is currently limited to 38 aircraft per month, to ensure greater quality control in manufacturing. A cap that is limiting its ability to respond to the growing demand for new aircraft.
