Boeing has issued a warning that it will likely have to reduce deliveries of its 737 Max airplane in the near term due to an issue with a part made by one of its suppliers, Spirit AeroSystems.
The company revealed that its supplier had informed them that a “non-standard” manufacturing process was used on two fittings in aft fuselages, which has affected certain models including the 737 Max 8, 737 Max 7, 737 8200 and P-8 planes. The problem has not been identified as an immediate safety of flight issue, and Boeing has said that the in-service fleet can continue operating safely.
Boeing has notified the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the issue and is working with them to inspect and address the affected fuselages as needed. The FAA has also confirmed that Boeing has informed them of the issue and there is no immediate safety issue.
However, the issue will likely affect a significant number of undelivered 737 Max airplanes, both in production and in storage. This will have a knock-on effect on the delivery schedules of customers such as American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, who have already been affected by previous production issues with the 737 Max.
Southwest Airlines has already confirmed that it expects the issue to impact its delivery schedule of new Max planes and that it is currently discussing the details of that timeline for this year and beyond. Meanwhile, United Airlines has stated that it doesn’t expect any “significant impact” to its capacity planes for this summer or the rest of 2023.
The problem is the latest in a string of production issues for Boeing, and it comes as the company is trying to increase production and deliveries of its best-selling plane, the 737 Max. The company’s customers are eagerly awaiting new jetliners to capitalize on the rebound in travel, which has been driven by the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.
The news of the issue has already had an impact on Boeing’s share price, with shares falling 4% in after-hours trading on Thursday after the company disclosed the problem.