Spirit Aerosystems Is Staying Loyal to the Controversial MAX 737
Scott Dylan April 17, 2019
Spirit AeroSystems is taking a bold and somewhat unexpected stance when it comes to Boeing 737 MAX planes. The manufacturer has announced that it intends to maintain all deliverers of its Boeing planes. The airline manufacturer currently receives the planes at a rate of about 52 units per month. You may have heard that Boeing actually plans to reduce the production of the Boeing 737 MAX on a temporary basis. The manufacturer will begin producing 42 planes per month instead of its usual 52 beginning in the middle of this month. Spirit and Boeing will be working in collaboration to try to minimize any disruption that Boeing’s manufacturing changes could have on the supply of planes it is delivering to Spirit Aerosystems. Spirit plans to store all of the 737 MAX planes it accumulates in its own facilities. Of course, there is a big question mark in the air regarding whether or not passengers can ever feel safe flying in the 737 MAX again following last month’s high-profile crash.
Boeing is under fire at the moment regarding the safety of its 737 jetliners. It has been nothing but negative headlines ever since an Ethiopian Airlines crash in March killed 157 people. The manufacturer recently created a special panel to review the safety and design of its aircraft. However, the bigger news is that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered all MAX 737 planes grounded until the model’s safety can be thoroughly assessed. Here’s a full list of the current investigations that are taking place among agencies in the United States regarding the Boeing 737 MAX:
- The Justice Department’s criminal division is investigating issues related to the Boeing 737 MAX.
- The FAA has formed a Joint Authorities Technical Review with representatives from nine countries that will investigate the jet.
- The Transportation Department’s inspector general is examining the certification process for the 737 MAX.
- The House Transportation Committee has also launched an investigation into the FAA’s certification process for the 737 MAX.
- Attorneys working on behalf of the family of an American victim of the Ethiopian Airlines crash have filed a lawsuit in federal court.
No clues have been given regarding how long the FAA intends to keep the 737 Max grounded. Boeing stands to lose more than $2 billion per month while the model is out of the skies. Ethiopian officials have already released a report regarding last month’s crash that essentially places the blame on Boeing. The same equipment failure that caused the Lion Air crash last fall has been cited as the cause of the latest crash. The failure had to do with a flawed anti-stall system. Boeing engineers are currently working on a software update for the failed system linked to both crashes.
[Image Source: Wikimedia/ Duch]
What a poorly-written article! Of course Spirit Aero is going to stay committed -- they're under contract to make parts for the 737Max!
Of course, the premise for this article is lunacy. Spirit Aerosystems core business is making 737 fuselages. 1,000s of people depend on that product for their livelihoods. It is pure lunacy to suggest that Spirit with abandon Boeing, just pure lunacy.
This is a very confusing article. I know Spirit produces most of the mainframe cabin sections of the 738s, but the article also implies it completes full assembly in Wichita rather than shipping these sub-assemblies to Renton for final assembly and interior installation. Perhaps the author can clarity this?
Thousands of cycles flown with 737 MAX aircraft in the United States and Canada and not one crash. Why? Because North American trained pilots know what the heck to do when a system is not working properly. What the Ethiopian pilots were doing is Einstein's definition of insanity. I have been an airline passenger since 1955 at the age of eight and have seen a lot including the Lockheed Electra (wing vibration), the 727 introduction (different low-altitude flight characteristics), and DC-10 (turbine failure, maintenance engine mount issues). I would not hesitate for a split second to get on a 737 MAX with US or Canadian pilots and livery. On the other hand, I would NEVER, EVER get onto any aircraft flown by Lion Air or any Asian, African, South American low cost (read poorly trained pilots) airline.
Agree with Amanuensis, FT's editorial is moving deeper into clickbait territory every day. Today, a high school newspaper reporter took a press release and used it as an opportunity to keep the Max8 on the front burner without even bothering to ID the subject of the story. (They build several key components of Boeing aircraft, including the fuselage of the 737. You're welcome.)