6 February 2024
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – On Monday, Boeing announced it will do further inspections on about 50 undelivered Boeing 737 MAX planes because of a report from a supplier.
There are questions about holes that may have not been drilled properly.
A statement from Boeing was sent to KSN that says, in part, “Thank you for reaching out. Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Stan Deal said the 737 program will spend several days in the factory to focus on quality, including inspecting some undelivered airplanes for a potential supplier manufacturing issue prior to delivery.”
As stock prices for both Boeing and Spirit took a hit Monday in early trading, analysts say this latest issue will likely not impact jobs in Wichita.
Spirit AeroSystems makes much of the 737 MAX fuselage.
“Well, I mean, you know, stock traders are sort of hard-hearted people,” said Teal Aviation Sr. Analyst Bruce McLelland. “I mean, they base their valuation on how do they think the company is going to do in the future.”
McLelland says there likely will be no carrier that will cancel orders based on the latest questions over quality control with the 737 MAX line.
The Boeing statement also said, “This issue is about two drilled holes in some 737 fuselages that were found not to meet precise specifications. There’s no immediate safety-of-flight impact on the fleet, which can continue to operate safely.
Boeing is finalizing rework instructions for affected airplanes, and we will ensure undelivered airplanes with this issue meet our exacting specifications before delivery. Boeing continues to deliver 737s that are not affected.”
Spirit sent KSN a statement as well.
“Spirit notified Boeing last week of a non-conformity one of our employees identified. As is standard in these situations, engineering reviewed the non-conformity to determine any required follow-up actions. Engineering determined that there is no safety-of-flight issue.
The engineering review is ongoing; we expect a final disposition this week. This process will define a course of action at that time, and any required repairs will have a recommended solution. Based on that engineering analysis, disruption and level of effort can be determined.
In close coordination with Boeing, Spirit will continue delivering fuselages that incorporate additional inspections and known repairs and meet the agreed-upon assembly condition. Spirit will continue its normal and planned production operations until formally notified of any changes.”