Spacing Problem: Boeing says 'mis-drilled' holes in 737 Max to delay deliveries

The deliveries of about 50 Boeing 737 MAX airplanes might face delays as the airplane manufacturing company notified that its supplier Spirit AeroSystems found two mis-drilled holes in some fuselages. Boeing confirmed the findings after Reuters posted a query related to information provided by its industry sources revealing that an “edge margin”, or spacing problem, had been found in holes drilled on a window frame on some jets. The airplane manufacturing company has been under scanner by regulators since the door plug blowout incident of January 5. However, Boeing has maintained that its safety was unaffected adding that the existing 737s could keep flying.

“This past Thursday, a supplier notified us of a non-conformance in some 737 fuselages. I want to thank an employee at the supplier who flagged to his manager that two holes may not have been drilled exactly to our requirements,” Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Stan Deal said in a letter to staff referring to Spirit, which is the sole 737 fuselage supplier. Deal added, “While this potential condition is not an immediate flight safety issue and all 737s can continue operating safely, we currently believe we will have to perform rework on about 50 undelivered airplanes.” Meanwhile, Spirit AeroSystems told Reuters that the issue was raised during one of its 360-degree quality management programs during which a member of its team flagged the problem that did not conform to its engineering standards. Deal said Boeing plans to devote several “factory days” this week at the Renton 737 plant outside Seattle to work on the misaligned holes and finish other outstanding work. Such days allow teams to pause work without shutting the entire line. It is the latest effort by Boeing to tighten its operations after the blowout on Alaska Airlines, opening a new tab jet threw the spotlight on quality controls. Investigators, who have been examining whether the Alaska Airlines door plug bolts were missing or badly fitted, are expected to issue an interim report this week. At the same time, Boeing has asked a major supplier, which it did not identify, to halt all shipments until all jobs have been completed, Deal said. “While this delay in shipment will affect our production schedule, it will improve overall quality and stability.” The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had no immediate comment. With inputs from Reuters