(San Francisco) Boeing has identified a defect in a component of the 737 MAX that “does not pose a safety concern”, but will again disrupt deliveries of its flagship aircraft.
“During factory inspections, we identified mounting holes that did not meet our specifications in the rear pressurization bulkhead of certain 737 aircraft,” the American group said on Wednesday, asked by AFP after information reported by a site specialized.
“This is not an immediate flight safety issue for the 737 fleet, which can continue to operate safely,” a spokesperson said, adding that authorities and customers have been notified.
He also confirmed that this incident will affect 737 deliveries in the short term, “while we carry out inspections to determine the number of aircraft affected and carry out the necessary restoration work”.
Boeing stock fell 2.77% in electronic trading after the New York Stock Exchange closed.
At the end of July, the aircraft manufacturer had confirmed its delivery targets for the year: 400 to 450 aircraft for the 737.
After numerous supply and logistics problems, the company had increased its monthly production rate to nearly 38 devices (compared to 31 previously), with still the intention of increasing it to fifty per month by 2025-2026.
According to the specialized site theaircurrent.com, which revealed the information, the defective parts were supplied by Spirit AeroSystems.
In April, quality problems linked to this same supplier on the fuselage of several aircraft models, including the 737 MAX, had already disrupted deliveries.
Spirit AeroSystems fell 6.18% on Wednesday evening.