Proactive Investors - Boeing Co (NYSE:BA)’s production of 737 MAX jets drastically reduced through the first quarter on the back of more rigorous quality checks and regulatory scrutiny, reports have said.
As per consultancy firm Cirium Ascend, Boeing carried out test flights on new 13 MAXs in March and 11 in February, implying production sat at a similar level.
A Reuters-quoted industry source said monthly production had slipped as low as single digits by late March meanwhile, after the figure peaked at a rate of 38 last year.
A door panel fell from an Air Alaska-operated 737 MAX 9 variant in January, prompting a brief grounding of the Boeing jets and a regulator-enforced cap on production.
Though this was set at 38 jets a month by the Federal Aviation Administration, reflecting previous production peaks, lower output comes as the regulator audits Boeing and the manufacturer carries out more stringent safety work itself.
This includes a reduction in so-called “travelled work”, where planes move further down the production line, despite work still needing to be done from previous stations.
Boeing and rival Airbus Group (EPA:AIR) had already been grappling with output delays due to supply shortages, with slowdown in the former’s production set to worsen this.
Ryanair (LON:0RYA) is among airlines waiting on orders of Boeing 737 MAXs, for instance, alongside the likes of Delta Air Lines Inc (NYSE:DAL) and United Airlines Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:UAL) in the States.