A person with an umbrella walks by a Boeing 737 Max parked outside the company’s production facility in Renton, Washington, January 10, 2020.
Lindsay Wasson | Reuters
boeing The company said a new manufacturing flaw in the 737 Max would delay deliveries of its best-selling aircraft, the latest setback in the company’s bid to deliver more aircraft.
The airline said it had discovered that the rear pressure bulkhead fasteners on some 737s had been improperly drilled. Spirit Aerosystems, The company that makes the fuselage said it “uses multiple suppliers for the aft pressure bulkhead, so only some units are affected.”
“This issue will impact 737 deliveries in the near term as Boeing conducts inspections to determine the number of affected aircraft and completes any necessary rework on those aircraft,” Boeing said. Stated. 737 Max not affected by this issue will continue to be delivered.
The flaw is a series of manufacturing flaws that Boeing uncovered in Max and other programs while trying to ramp up production to meet strong demand from airlines short on planes due to the travel boom. is the latest in The company announced last month that it would shift production from 31 to 38 vehicles per month.
Boeing did not say whether the issuance would change its outlook for delivering 400 to 450 of its largest planes this year.
Spirit Aerosystems said it will continue to deliver aircraft to Boeing.
“We are working closely with our customers to address the affected units within their production systems and address any necessary rework,” Spirit Aerosystems said in a statement. “Based on what we know today, we do not believe there will be any material impact on our delivery coverage this year related to this issue.”
By July, Boeing had delivered 309 planes to customers, second only to rival Airbus’ 381 delivered during the same period.
The company said the issue had been reported before air current, was irrelevant to flight safety and the airline could continue to fly the aircraft. Boeing added that it has notified the Federal Aviation Administration.
Boeing shares fell more than 2% in Thursday morning trading, while Spirit Aerosystems fell about 12%.
