Boeing (BA) plans to add further quality inspections throughout the build process for the 737 Max after the blowout of a cabin panel on an Alaska Air Group (ALK) flight in early January, Boeing Commercial Airplanes Chief Executive Stan Deal said in a message to employees Monday.
The plane maker also deployed a team to Spirit AeroSystems (SPR), which manufactures Boeing fuselages, to check the company’s work, the letter said.
Deal also said both Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems are opening their facilities to 737 operators for additional oversight inspections to review production and quality processes.
China Southern, an airline that was set to receive Max planes, is planning to conduct additional safety inspections on all its Boeing 737 Max jets, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China has also advised the country’s airlines to conduct safety inspections on all Boeing 737 Max jets, even though none are Max 9 models, the people familiar with the matter purportedly told the Journal.
China grounded all Boeing 737 Max jets in 2019 following two fatal accidents, bringing them back into service last year.