FAA says first 40 inspections of Boeing 737 MAX 9 airplanes complete

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2 years ago

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Wednesday that inspections of an initial group of 40 Boeing 737 MAX 9.

On Friday, the FAA had said 40 out of 171 grounded planes needed to be reinspected before the agency would review the results and determine if it is safe to allow the Boeing, opens new tab MAX 9s to resume flying.

The FAA said on Wednesday that it will “thoroughly review the data” from the inspections before deciding if the planes can resume flights.

Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, the two U.S. airlines that use the aircraft and completed the inspections, have had to cancel hundreds of flights since last week.

→ Boeing hits 2023 jet delivery goal in blockbuster sales year

Boeing on Tuesday named retired U.S. Navy admiral Kirkland H. Donald to advise the planemaker’s CEO on improving quality control.

Boeing’s production processes have been under scrutiny since a panel tore off the Alaska Airlines jet while in flight this month, leaving a hole on the side of the plane. The incident rekindled worries about Boeing’s jets a few years after a pair of crashes killed 346 people.

The chair of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and FAA safety chief are briefing senators on the investigation on Wednesday.

Kirkland Donald will lead a team of outside experts in evaluating quality practices at Boeing Commercial Airplanes and its supply chain and provide recommendations to Boeing CEO David Calhoun and the board of directors.

Calhoun will visit Spirit AeroSystems’ (SPR.N), opens new tab production facilities in Wichita, Kansas, on Wednesday to speak with employees alongside that company’s CEO, Pat Shanahan.

With information from Reuters