The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) froze increases in production of the 737 Max, raising concerns over growth plans of airlines and suppliers worldwide.
Work has halted at Boeing’s Renton plant where the 737 Max 9 is built as the company deals with fallout after a door plug blew out during an Alaska Airlines flight three weeks ago.
United Airlines and Alaska Airlines, the two carriers with Boeing’s 737 MAX 9 in their fleet, have begun fixing their planes — and could be flying again as soon as this weekend.
Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci revealed his frustrations with Boeing, saying Tuesday he is “angry” with the aircraft company and is demanding improvements to its quality programs following the recent midair blowout. Minicucci, during an interview with NBC News, said the new in-house inspections of Boeing’s 737 Max 9 planes found “some loose bolts on…
Boeing issued a bulletin to its suppliers late last week that laid out practices to ensure bolts are properly torqued after multiple airlines reported loose hardware during inspections of the grounded 737 MAX 9, according to a memo seen by Reuters. The U.S. planemaker said that it is "imperative" that suppliers meet quality requirements, according to a Jan. 17 memo seen by Reuters, issued weeks after an accident when a panel ripped off of a 737 MAX 9 jet while in mid-air. The bulletin suggests suppliers document torque requirements on work instructions, require mechanics to record how much torque is applied when fastening components, and ensure tools are properly calibrated to ensure bolts are properly tightened.