Boeing Co announced on Sunday (February 4) that it will need to conduct additional work on approximately 50 undelivered 737 MAX aircraft, potentially causing delays in upcoming deliveries. This action follows Spirit AeroSystems, one of its suppliers, identifying two mis-drilled holes on certain fuselages.
Boeing confirmed these findings in response to a query from news agency Reuters, clarifying that while a spacing issue was discovered in holes drilled on a window frame, it does not compromise safety, and existing 737 aircraft can continue to operate without concern.
Rework required on 50 undelivered airplanes
In a letter addressed to staff, Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Stan Deal expressed gratitude to the supplier’s employee who raised the issue. He emphasised that while the situation doesn’t pose an immediate safety risk, rework will be necessary for around 50 undelivered airplanes.
The focus of inspections is on the potential misalignment of two holes on a window frame assembly provided by Spirit, referred to as “short edge margin,” according to industry sources.
Progress of inspections and affected fuselages
As of Friday, 22 fuselages out of 47 inspected thus far in production systems managed by Boeing and Spirit exhibited the “non-conformance” or quality defect. There’s a possibility that this issue may also exist in some 737s currently in service.
The figures provided by Deal to employees indicate swift progress in inspections, suggesting that the problem affects only a minority of the fuselages in the production pipeline.
A spokesperson from Spirit AeroSystems highlighted that their quality management program identified the issue, which doesn’t meet engineering standards.
The discovery of these findings occurred through a routine notification called a Notice of Escapement, where suppliers inform Boeing of any known or suspected quality deviations. This revelation comes at a time when Boeing and its popular 737 jet are under increased scrutiny following an incident involving a door plug blowout on an Alaska Airlines jet on January 5th.