Boeing confirmed on Wednesday that it had resumed delivery of the 737 MAX after receiving regulatory approval to fix an electrical problem that halted more than 100 aircraft.
The delivery revives a major revenue stream for Boeing and comes after the aviation veteran announced on May 13 that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) sent service bulletins to airlines after approving its fix for a power problem .
Both American Airlines and United Airlines have resumed flights on Max planes affected by the issue, the carrier’s spokesman said.
A Southwest Airlines spokesman said the carrier was still implementing the changes in light of Boeing’s service bulletin and did not return its 32 affected aircraft to service.
Boeing announced publicly on 9 April that it had notified 16 airlines flying its 737 MAX planes of the power issue, suspending the immediate grounding of jets and delivery of new aircraft.
The FAA described the problem as “an electrical bonding and grounding problem” and said the problem affects three parts of the aircraft in a model created by Boeing in early 2019 following a design change.
The electrical problem was a new setback after Max was cleared to return to service in November 2020 after 20 months of grounding due to two fatal accidents.
Boeing had recently resumed delivery of the 787 “Dreamliner” aircraft, which had been in place since the previous suspension to overcome production problems.
Earlier this week two senior House Democrats announced they were seeking records from the FAA and Boeing on Max and 787 issues.
MPs, Transportation Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio and Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Rick Larsen cited their report on Max from 2020, which pointed to significant problems in BoA and the company’s FAA oversight.
The 737 MAX was approved to return to service in the United States in November 2020 after being shut down for 20 months following two fatal accidents that killed 346 people in 2018 and 2019.
Reuters reported on May 4 that the FAA asked Boeing to supply the new analysis, which showed that several 737 MAX subsystems would not be affected by the electrical grounding issues flagged for the first time in the jet’s three areas in April.
Boeing had recently resumed delivery of the 787 “Dreamliner” aircraft, which had been in place since the previous suspension to overcome production problems.
Earlier this week two senior House Democrats announced they were seeking records from the FAA and Boeing on Max and 787 issues. MPs, Transportation Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio and Aviation Subcommittee Rick Larsen cited their report on Max from 2020, which pointed to significant problems in the FAA’s oversight of Boeing and the company.
Once the 737 MAX returned to service, Ryanair could not take its first aircraft directly. To accommodate more passengers, the jet has an additional emergency exit. Thanks to this, the aircraft required additional certification beyond the normal 737 return for flight certification. It acquired it back in April, shortly before this latest grounding.
According to reports, Boeing has resumed 737 MAX delivery. The American aircraft manufacturer had to stop delivery of the jet due to power concerns. This is the second time Boeing has resumed delivery of the aircraft in the last one year after the total grounding of the type in 2019.
737 MAX delivery resumed
Boeing appears to have resumed delivery of the 737 Max family according to Reuters. The publication reported that the delivery was suspended on 16 April, meaning that this new, smaller grounding lasted for just over a month.
The solution to this problem was much faster than the required MCAS fix after the first grounding. Reuters reports that Boeing submitted the fix earlier this month. Last week, Simple Flying reported that the FAA had accepted the fix, allowing delivery to continue. According to the publication, a Boeing spokesman declined to comment on the matter.