FAA Says More Issues In 737 MAX Production

Focus on Boeing’s production processes has come under fire following a New York Times report.

The report reported that there were significant failures following an audit conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) into Boeing’s production practices for the 737 MAX.

Of the 89 completed tests, the New York Times said that 33 failed, representing hardly a minor amount and uncovering the persistent and widespread issues that continue to plague the manufacturer.

The FAA launched the audit directly responding to the door blowout incident at the top of the year. As part of the audit, the governing body attempted to determine how bad the quality slips were internally.

Meanwhile, the focus also went on key supplier Spirit AeroSystems, who has been under fire for making the parts installed on Boeing aircraft. 13 audits were conducted, and the New York Times says Spirit failed seven of these.

The alarming nature of the failures has made headlines around the world. Ultimately for these companies passing all audits is the requirement, however, to be failing so many is hardly a good look and highlights some significantly deep rooted problems.

Boeing To Submit Turnaround Plan

As a response to these alarming results, which are accompanied by other visible problems, Boeing must submit a turnaround plan in the next two months.

This turnaround will involve formulating a comprehensive plan that targets internal refinement of key practices, which would prevent persistent quality slips from occurring long into the future.

The plan’s implementation and long-term success will be crucial for Boeing as it looks to become the world’s leading aircraft manufacturer. This is ultimately a title it lost some time ago to Airbus, which has soared ahead.

Additionally, Boeing will need to communicate its intentions with the FAA to be allowed to increase production. A production increase is essential to the manufacturer moving through its backlog, not losing customers and not losing further ground to Airbus.