Boeing will suspend 737 Max production after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it would not approve of its return to service before 2020. While still struggling to receive approval from other international regulators to get the 737 Max off the ground, Boeing executives and board members are on the brink of making one of the most major decisions in the centennial company’s history.
“Safely returning the 737 Max to service is our top priority,” Boeing said in a statement. “We know that the process of approving the 737 Max’s return to service, and of determining appropriate training requirements, must be extraordinarily thorough and robust, to ensure that our regulators, customers, and the flying public have confidence in the 737 Max updates.” [1]
The Impact of Grounding the 737 Max
Formerly Boeing’s bestselling plane, the Max line has been part of two deadly crashes that claimed 346 lives, resulting in more than 700 Max aircraft being grounded throughout the world. As the United States’ largest manufacturing exporter and the largest component of the Dow Jones industrial average, Boeing’s possible shutdown of the Max line would send shockwaves through the American economy and the company’s global supply chain.
The grounding of the 737 Max jets resulted in thousands of flight cancellations by airlines waiting for new planes or had bought the planes that are now grounded. It was also reported the board was considering a proposal from top management at the Max factory in Renton, Washington to temporarily shut down the 737 production at the beginning of this year. Boeing has yet to set a date for resuming production but hopes to redeploy its 12,000-strong workforce in Renton.
Gaining FAA Approval
Boeing will suspend 737 max production and abandon its goal of gaining approval from the FAA to unground the plane before 2020 after chief executive, Dennis Muilenburg, met with FAA administrator, Steve Dickinson on December 11. Dickinson said he would not clear the plane to fly before 2020 and revealed the federal agency had a pending investigation into the 737 Max production issues in Renton, Washington.
“We continue to work closely with the FAA and global regulators towards certification and the safe return to service of the Max,” Gordon Johndroe, a Boeing spokesman, said in a statement. “We will continue to assess production decisions based on the timing and conditions of return to service, which will be based on regulatory approvals and may vary by jurisdiction.” [2]
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Sources:
[1] The Guardian – Boeing suspends production of 737 Max model involved in fatal crashes
[2] The New York Times – Boeing’s 737 Max Decision: Shut Down Production?
