Boeing to add more quality assessments for 737 MAX

Boeing to add more quality assessments for 737 MAX ….
Reuters, WASHINGTON -Following the mid-air explosion of a cabin panel in an Alaska Airlines MAX 9 earlier this month, Boeing will increase the number of quality inspections for the 737 MAX, the president of the company’s commercial aircraft division announced on Monday.

Stan Deal, president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, stated in a letter to Boeing employees that the aircraft manufacturer will also send a team to Spirit AeroSystems, a supplier that manufactures and installs the plug door involved in the incident, to verify and approve Spirit’s work on the plugs before fuselages are sent to Boeing’s production facilities in Washington state.

Following the Federal Aviation Administration’s decision on Friday to extend the indefinite suspension of 171 MAX 9 aircraft for additional safety inspections, Boeing has taken further action. According to the FAA, the government won’t assess the findings and decide if there is sufficient safety for the MAX 9s to start flying until after 40 aircraft have undergone inspections.

Boeing crews will carry out inspections at fifty other sites throughout Spirit’s production process, in addition to the door plug inspections, according to Deal. In the meanwhile, airline clients of Spirit and Boeing can conduct their own inspections at their 737 production plants.

A Spirit representative told Reuters, “We are working seamlessly with Boeing in executing on the FAA’s Quality Management System (QMS) in the production and manufacturing of the 737 MAX 9.”

Along with providing training on quality management to staff members, Boeing will also invite an external party to perform an unbiased evaluation of its manufacturing procedures, according to Deal.

Regarding the quality improvement efforts, Alaska Airlines stated that it had “engaged in a candid conversation” with the senior team of Boeing and CEO Dave Calhoun.

“We welcome and appreciate Boeing’s specific commitments to bolster quality assurance and controls across their factories and at Spirit AeroSystems,” stated Alaska Airlines.

The FAA chose not to respond.

Deal stated that the FAA’s current inquiry and its intentions to enhance its supervision over MAX manufacturing are unrelated to the activities outlined in the letter.

Deal stated that Boeing “will conduct the same thorough inspections of the mid-exit door plugs as mandated by the FAA” prior to the delivery of new MAX 9.

The regulatory body declared last week that it would audit the Boeing 737 MAX 9 production line and its suppliers, as well as look into assigning some of the FAA’s former airplane certification duties to an outside organization.

Boeing intends to increase its investments in its quality units and has increased the number of its quality inspectors by 20% since 2019, according to Deal.

“Everything we do must conform to the requirements in our QMS,” Deal stated. Less than that is not acceptable. We must adhere to this level in order to provide our clients and their passengers total confidence in Boeing aircraft.”

All MAX 9 flights have been canceled by Alaska Airlines and United Airlines through Tuesday. On Monday, United Airlines declined to comment on the actions taken by Boeing.

(Editing by Bernadette Baum, Louise Heavens, and Andrea Ricci; reporting by Valerie Insinna, David Shepardson, and Tanay Dhumal)