NORTH TEXA (CBSDFW.COM) – It’s a bit like deja vu, on Friday Boeing recommended that more than a dozen customers take some of their planes out of service due to a possible electrical problem.
In all, US airlines have temporarily suspended the use of more than 65 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft with 16 carriers.
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Max was grounded worldwide in March 2019 after two accidents killed 346 people. Regulators in the United States, Europe, Canada, Brazil and other countries have authorized the plane to resume flight after Boeing changed an automated flight control system that played a role in crashes.
Boeing said on Friday that the recommendation was made “to allow verification of the existence of a sufficient ground path for a component of the power supply system.” He did not specify how many aircraft could be involved.
American Airlines eliminated 17 aircraft after receiving information from Boeing and issued a statement saying, in part, “We have another 24 737 MAX aircraft in our fleet that are not affected by this problem because they were produced. and delivered before unearthly. We will continue to work with the FAA, Boeing and our union leaders and their safety teams as an in-depth assessment of the issue is completed. ”
Some customers like Southwest Airlines, which started flying with Max again last month after the grounding order was lifted, are a big user.
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Southwest spokesman Brian Parrish said 30 of the airline’s 58,737 Max 8 planes were affected by the notification. Although Southwest did not face any known operational challenges related to this issue, it removed the 30 aircraft from its program for further review.
Southwest currently operates a limited program with Max, but Parrish said the company will change any previously scheduled flights with the affected aircraft. It has a fleet of over 700 Boeing 737. The company anticipates the problem causing a minimal interruption of operations.
Boeing said it is working closely with the Federal Aviation Administration in this regard.
Shares of Boeing Co. they fell by less than 1% before the opening bell on Friday.
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