Boeing said Friday it had notified 16 customers of a potential electrical issue with its troubled 737 Max plane and recommended that they temporarily stop flying some planes.
The affected airlines should verify “that a sufficient ground path exists for a component of the electrical power system” on certain Max planes, Boeing said. The statement comes just months after companies resumed flying the jet, which had been grounded for nearly two years because of a pair of accidents that killed nearly 350 people.
“We are working closely with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on this production issue,” Boeing said in a statement. “We are also informing our customers of specific tail numbers affected and we will provide direction on appropriate corrective actions.”
American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines, the top three operators of the Max, said they had removed more than 60 planes from service. It is not clear how long the planes will be sidelined.
Southwest Airlines, one of the biggest customers of the plane, said that 30 of its 58 Max jets were affected by the notification and that it was swapping those planes out for now. The airline said it only had 15 or fewer Max jets scheduled to fly each day.
“Southwest anticipates minimal disruption to our operation, and we appreciate the understanding of our customers and employees as safety is always our uncompromising priority,” it said in a statement.
The Max was banned from flying globally in March 2019 because of the crashes. After a lengthy review, the F.A.A. allowed the Max to fly again in November, provided that Boeing and airlines make required changes to the jet, including updating its flight control software. Since then, aviation regulators around the world have followed suit and the plane has been used on thousands of flights.
United said that 16 of its 30 Max planes were affected by Boeing’s announcement and that they would not be used to carry passengers. American Airlines said that the issue affected 17 of its most recently delivered planes, all of which have been temporarily sidelined. American said that 24 Max planes delivered before the global grounding were unaffected.
“As we shared when we returned the 737 MAX to commercial service, the safety of our customers and team members comes above all else,” American said in a statement. “It’s with this unequivocal standard that we rigorously maintain and monitor all our aircraft — including the Boeing 737 MAX — to ensure every plane in the air is safe.”
The F.A.A. said in a statement that Boeing notified it of the issue late Thursday and that the agency would “ensure the issue is addressed.” In addition to requiring that the plane’s flight control software be updated, the F.A.A. in November also required that some electrical wiring be rerouted before the Max could fly again.
Separately, workers at a Boeing plant in South Carolina have complained of careless practices there in the past, including debris left dangerously close to electrical wiring of another plane, 787 Dreamliner.
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Boeing Tells Airlines to Stop Flying Some 737 Max Planes - The New York Times
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