NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) – A bit like déjà vu, Friday Boeing advised that more than a dozen of its customers take some of their planes out of service due to a potential electrical problem.
In total, US airlines have temporarily discontinued the use of more than 65 Boeing 737 MAX jets, with 16 airlines.
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The Max was grounded worldwide in March 2019 after two crashes killed 346 people. Regulators in the US, Europe, Canada, Brazil and other countries allowed the plane to continue flying after Boeing changed an automated flight control system that was involved in the crashes.
Boeing said on Friday that the recommendation was made “to verify that there is a sufficient ground path for some part of the electrical power system.” It did not specify how many aircraft could be involved.
American Airlines has removed 17 aircraft from service after receiving the information from Boeing and issued a statement that included: “We have 24 other 737 MAX aircraft in our fleet that are not affected by this issue as they were produced and delivered before ungrounded. We will continue to work with the FAA, Boeing and our union leaders and their safety teams after an in-depth assessment of the issue is completed. ”
Some customers, such as Southwest Airlines, which resumed flying the Max last month after the grounding warrant was lifted, are major users.
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Southwest spokesman Brian Parrish said 30 of the airline’s 58 737 Max 8 planes are affected by the report. While Southwest has experienced no known operational challenges related to the issue, it has removed the 30 aircraft from its schedule for further review.
Southwest currently has a limited schedule with the Max, but Parrish said the company will swap all previously scheduled flights with the affected aircraft. It has a fleet of more than 700 Boeing 737s. The company anticipates the problem, resulting in minimal disruption to business activities.
Boeing said it is working closely with the Federal Aviation Administration on this matter.
The shares of Boeing Co. fell less than 1% before Friday’s opening bubble.
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