Boeing said a new problem with the fuselage of some unfinished 737 jets will force the company to rework about 50 planes, potentially delaying their delivery and raising further quality concerns for the manufacturer and its suppliers.
Stan Deal, the chief executive of Boeing’s commercial airplane unit, said in a memo to employees on Sunday that a supplier last week had identified that “two holes may not have been drilled exactly to our requirements.”
Joe Buccino, a spokesman for Spirit AeroSystems, Boeing’s fuselage supplier, said Monday that a member of its team identified a problem that did not meet engineering standards. “As soon as we were notified, we took immediate action to identify and implement appropriate repair solutions,” he said. “We are in close communication with Boeing on this matter.”
Mr. Deal of Boeing said in his memo that it was “not an immediate flight safety issue.” He added that the 737s currently in use could continue to fly.
The new problems were another setback for Boeing, which has been under pressure from regulators, investors and its airline customers since Jan. 5, when a panel on a 737 Max 9 jet operated by Alaska Airlines exploded mid-flight. forcing the forced landing and grounding of some Max 9s in the United States.
Concerns about the quality of Boeing and its suppliers have taken on new urgency after news accounts, including a report in the New York Times, found that Boeing workers had opened and reinstalled the panel that blew off the Alaska Airlines plane . Last week, Boeing declined to provide a full-year financial forecast as planned, a sign that it was trying to reassure customers that quality control would take precedence over financial performance.
Mr. Deal said Boeing will spend several “factory days” this week at the company’s plant outside Seattle to address the poorly drilled holes and complete other work on the undelivered 737s. Such days allow teams to interrupt normal work and monitor specific tasks without interrupting production.
“This is what we mean when we say we’re going slow to get it right,” Mr. Deal said in the memo.
The Federal Aviation Administration last month said it would limit Boeing’s production until it can ascertain its quality control procedures, another blow to the company, which had planned to increase production of the Max series of planes to more than 500 this year. up from about 400 the previous year. year. The regulator also said it was investigating Boeing’s manufacturing practices and production lines, including those involving Spirit AeroSystems.
The mechanical and safety issues affecting the Max series have compounded the problems facing the wider aviation industry. Airlines have not been able to take full advantage of strong demand for flights in recent years due to a shortage of planes, pilots, flight attendants and other workers needed to operate flights.
The Max series was already under scrutiny after accidents in 2018 and 2019 killed nearly 350 people and grounded the Max 8 for nearly two years. The latest problems with the Max jets have renewed concerns among some aviation experts that Boeing has prioritized profits and shareholder returns over engineering and safety.
