NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) – It’s a bit like déjà vu. Boeing on Friday recommended that more than a dozen of its customers use their aircraft outside due to a possible electrical problem.
In total, US airlines temporarily suspended the use of more than 65 Boeing 737 MAX jets, with 16 airlines.
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The Max was grounded worldwide in March 2019 after 346 people died. Regulators in the US, Europe, Canada, Brazil and other countries have cleared the plane to fly again after Boeing changed an automatic flight control system that played a role in the accidents.
Boeing said Friday that the recommendation was made to verify that there is sufficient dirt road for a component of the electric power system. It did not specify how many aircraft could be involved.
American Airlines removed 17 aircraft from service after receiving the information from Boeing and issued a statement saying in part: ‘We have 24 other 737 MAX aircraft in our fleet that are not affected by this issue as it was produced and delivered before the abyss. We will continue to work with the FAA, Boeing and our union leaders and their security teams as a thorough assessment of the matter has been completed. ”
Some customers like Southwest Airlines, who started flying the Max again last month after the grounding order was lifted, are a big user.
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Southwestern spokesman Brian Parrish said 30 of the airline’s 58,737 Max 8 aircraft were affected by the notice. Southwest has not yet experienced any known operational challenges related to the issue, but it has removed the 30 aircraft from its schedule for further review.
Southwest currently operates a limited schedule with the Max, but Parrish said the company would swap any previously scheduled flights with the affected aircraft. It has a fleet of more than 700 Boeing 737s. The company anticipates the issue causing minimal interruptions in operations.
Boeing said it was working closely with the Federal Aviation Administration on the matter.
The shares of Boeing Co. slipped less than 1% before the opening clock on Friday.
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