Boeing suspends production of 737 Max 8 aircraft model
Foremost airplane manufacturer, Boeing has disclosed its plan to suspend further production of its popular Max 8 aircraft model which crashed on two occasions since 2018.
Boeing has been the focus of numerous congressional investigations recently, and the manufacturer is in the middle of deciding either to suspend or curb further production of the airplane model.
It would be recalled that the Max 8 airplane have been grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as well as several other international airline regulators since March this year.
The latest grounding of the airplane by FAA is the longest grounding exercise in the long term history of the regulator, and a recent toll on the Boeing stock has revealed a continuous decline to the tune of about 4.27 percent in the business fortunes of the manufacturer.
It would also be recalled that Lion Airlines Flight 610 crashed in October 2018, and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 30 crashed in March 2019. In all, a total 346 passengers and crew members died in the two tragedies.
While the 737 Max 8 remains grounded, authorities believe the culprit in the crashes is a sensor that forced the jet’s nose downward without the pilot’s knowledge.
In a recent release, Boeing said: “We believe this decision is least disruptive to maintaining long-term production system and supply chain health,” adding that “This decision is driven by a number of factors, including the extension of certification into 2020, the uncertainty about the timing and conditions of return to service and global training approvals and the importance of ensuring that we can prioritize the delivery of stored aircraft.”
Boeing previously announced a rosier timeline for the 737 Max 8, citing mid-December as an appropriate time for recertification.
Commenting on the development, aviation expert Brett Snyder said: “The issue here is determining, do we keep making these airplanes? If so, do we do it at the same rate, or slow it down again?
“They have this backlog piling up, they are making these planes and they can’t deliver them to anyone.”
But that doesn’t mean Boeing will kill the 737 Max 8, first introduced in 2017 to compete with Airbus’ more efficient A320neo.
“This has nothing to do with the future of the Max, but how you manage it while the airplane isn’t allowed to fly for airlines,” Snyder added.
Former Boeing employee turned whistleblower Ed Pierson appeared before Congress recently and described Boeing’s manufacturing factory as “chaos”
Pierson detailed how working conditions in Boeing’s manufacturing plants showed signs of institutional mismanagement, which eventually led to the crashes.
The grounding has caused nothing but grief for Boeing, which responded by taking out a full page ad on the anniversary of the first 737 Max 8 crash.
“We mourn those whose lives were lost on Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 and offer our deepest sympathies to their families and friends. We will always remember,” the ad reads with the signoff, “From all of us at Boeing,” the ad page said.
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