Boeing
is encountering fresh challenges in the production of its widely-used 737-model
aircraft series, as reports surface of improperly drilled holes in the
fuselages of certain undelivered jets that were assembled in Renton, Washington.
This revelation—disclosed
in an internal memo to those Boeing employees involved in the production of the
737 and—comes on the heels of an incident last month in which a fuselage door panel
blew out in mid-air aboard an Alaska Airlines flight being flown aboard a 737
MAX 9 plane.
The same memo also
disclosed that Boeing managers had received over one thousand suggestions from
employees on ways to improve quality control amid the manufacturing process for
737s.
Henry Harteveldt,
a travel and aviation analyst for Atmosphere Research Group, expressed concern
over the recurring manufacturing mishaps at Boeing. “What is concerning is
there is this steady drip of problems,” he told local news outlet KIRO
7. “I am concerned this could impact summer travel.
“There may be
fewer aircraft being delivered to airlines than expected,” he noted.
“Importantly, some of those delays could possibly affect this all-important
summer travel season. The FAA has told Boeing that it may not increase the
production rate of the 737 MAX.”
In the memo to
employees sent out on Sunday, Boeing reported that it was alerted that some of
the holes in the fuselage had potentially been mis-drilled after a supplier
alerted the major aircraft manufacturer.
Harteveldt said
that rectifying the problem could result in delivery slowdowns. With fewer
planes at their disposal, airlines may find that they have less capacity on
some routes and need to make adjustments.
“A delay in
delivery of any of these aircraft certainly could impact those airlines’
schedules,” he said.
Alaska Airlines had
already put Boeing on notice following the door plug incident, as it found
additional concerns during subsequent
fleet inspections. But, it remains as yet uncertain whether this latest
production hiccup will directly affect any carriers with planes on order.
Despite the continuous
stream of problems the manufacturer seems to face with these 737s, Harteveldt
emphasized that Boeing, the FAA ad airlines are all taking action to rectify
them and that the mis-drilled holes may not be a big safety issue.
“While it
certainly is embarrassing for Boeing and Spirit that these holes may have been
drilled in the wrong place, we have not seen these issues manifest themselves
into a structural failure of the aircraft,” he noted.
In a statement
sent to KIRO 7, an FAA spokesperson said, “Boeing informed the FAA of an issue
with two holes that were drilled for a window frame on some undelivered Boeing
737 MAX airplanes. The FAA will address the issue through our Continued
Operational Safety process. We will ensure the airplanes meet all safety
standards before approving them for delivery.”
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
