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 blew out mid-flight, forcing an emergency landing and the grounding of some Max 9s in the United States.
Quality concerns at 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 scheduled, an indication that it was trying to assure customers that quality control would take precedence over financial performance.
Mr. Deal said that Boeing would devote several “factory days” this week at the company’s factory outside Seattle to address the mis-drilled holes and finish other work on the undelivered 737s. Such days allow teams to pause normal work and attend to specific tasks without shutting production.
“This is what we mean when we say that we will go slow to get it right,” Mr. Deal said in the memo.
The Federal Aviation Administration last month said it would limit Boeing’s output until it was confident in its quality control processes, another blow for the company, which had planned to increase production of its Max plane series to more than 500 this year, from about 400 last year. The regulator also said that 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 issues facing the aviation industry more broadly. Airlines have not been able to take full advantage of strong demand for flights in recent years because of shortages of planes, pilots, flight attendants and other workers needed to operate flights.
Kaynak: briturkish.com
