Boeing's recent announcement on replacing a component of undelivered 737 MAX planes is not good news for those airlines who had designed their expansion plans based on the committed delivery timelines of new planes.
According to sources, Air India and Akasa Air are likely to be impacted as Boeing is rescheduling the delivery of its popular aircraft.
Air India had ordered 190 737 MAX jets as part of its huge 470 aircraft order, some of which were expected to arrive this year itself.
Akasa Air had ordered 72 of these planes, 19 of which are already in service and 53 was to be delivered by March 2027. The country's youngest airline had announced it to fly internationally by the end of this year but that might now change given the delay in aircraft deliveries.
What is the 737 MAX component issue?
Boeing said it has detected a manufacturing issue with its undelivered plane which needs to be rectified.
"A supplier has notified us that a non-standard manufacturing process was used during the installation of two fittings in the aft fuselage section of certain 737-7, 737-8, 737-8-200 and P-8 model airplanes, creating the potential for a non-conformance to required specifications," Boeing said in a statement to CNBC-TV18.
An aviation expert explained what non-conformance means.
"As OEMs now get aircraft assembled, the outside vendors are entrusted with supplying required parts to build (assemble) the aeroplane. Sometimes the vendors goof up (with either the strength or size of the component) hence making it non-conformance. So they would have to change the faulty (non-conformance) part in all the airplanes to certify them airworthy again," the expert explained.
Boeing says the planes which are already in service won't be impacted as it's not an immediate flight safety issue. But those which are in the production stage or already in storage will undergo replacement and that will take a lot of time.
"This can be called a recall, even if Boeing says the issue is not an immediate safety issue for flying planes, they will all have to get this part changed for all planes in service eventually," the expert added.
Boeing hasn't specified the duration of the delay but it said customers have been informed that this glitch is likely to affect a significant number of undelivered 737 MAX planes both in production and in storage.
"We expect lower near-term 737 MAX deliveries while this required work is completed. We regret the impact that this issue will have on affected customers and are in contact with them concerning their delivery schedule." Boeing said in the statement.
CNBC-TV18 reached out to both Air India and Akasa Air if they have received any revised delivery timelines from Boeing for the 737 MAX planes but the airlines are yet to respond.
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(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)
First Published: Apr 24, 2023 5:22 PM IST
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