After numerous incidents involving Boeing 737 aircrafts, Boeing has announced that all 737-related factory teams would be suspending production for just one day in order to take part in quality control lessons.
Just in the last two weeks, Boeing had their
– 737 cockpit window crack mid flight
– 737 panel rip off mid-air
– 747 cargo plane catch fire up mid-flight
– 757 in Atlanta lose a wheel minutes before takeoff
What is going on with Boeing??
— Isabella Maria DeLuca (@IsabellaMDeLuca) January 24, 2024
This news comes after shocking reports emerged of a Boeing 737-9 MAX aircraft’s door plug blowing out mid-air, causing depressurization of the cabin on the less than two-month-old plane. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have since discovered that the blowout occurred because the door plug’s four bolts were missing.
This is a brand-new Boeing aircraft
It rolled off the line 2 months ago
This is bigger than just Nikki Haley's tenure there (although devastating to her)
We need a national investigation before people diepic.twitter.com/rq5qNPdSIP
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) January 6, 2024
Many critics responded to this incident and others by pointing to Boeing’s embrace of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) hiring practices — asserting that the company had been focused more on hiring people based on their immutable characteristics than their skill and capabilities.
After the incident, the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) grounded “certain Boeing 737 Max aircraft operated by US airlines or in US territory” — declaring that the Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) “will require all operators to inspect aircraft before further flight” and “will affect approximately 171 airplanes worldwide.”
The FAA is requiring immediate inspections of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes before they can return to flight.
Safety will continue to drive our decision-making as we assist the @NTSB’s investigation into Alaska Airlines Flight 1282. – @FAA_Mike pic.twitter.com/YsuQimg2pq
— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) January 6, 2024
Boeing has since released a statement announcing that all 737-related factory teams would be taking one day off of production for lessons focusing on quality control. According to the statement, employees working in Boeing’s factory in Renton, Washington, would be the first to engage in “quality stand down” on Thursday. The rest of its factories will follow suit over the next two weeks, Business Insider reported.
The statement also included comments from Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Stan Deal, who stated: “During the stand downs, teammates will participate in hands-on learning, reflection, and collaboration to identify where quality and compliance can be improved and create actionable plans that will be tracked to closure.”
Boeing has also reportedly begun inviting airlines to tour its factories and examine the operating process. The company has also begun reviewing one of its suppliers, Spirit AeroSystems, as well as commissioning an independent evaluation led by a retired Navy admiral.
Meanwhile, Boeing is still facing criticism over the repeated failures of its 737s, especially after numerous 737-9 MAX aircraft were found to have loose bolts during post-grounding inspections.
Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci spoke out about the matter, condemning Boeing in a statement to NBC News.
“It makes you mad that we’re finding issues like that on brand-new airplanes,” he told the outlet.