Almost a month into Canada’s grounding of all Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 9 fleets, the company responsible for the aircrafts says it will be cutting its production this week.
Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg said that the recent Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 accidents were caused by a chain of events, “with a common chain link being erroneous activation of the aircraft’s MCAS function. We have the responsibility to eliminate this risk, and we know how to do it. As part of this effort, we’re making progress on the 737 MAX software update that will prevent accidents like these from ever happening again.”
Besides working on advancing and testing its software update, Muilenburg said the company is adjusting its production system temporarily to accommodate the “pause” in MAX deliveries.
See also
- Government grounds all Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 9 in Canada
- Air Canada grounding 737 MAX until July 1 at the earliest
- Boeing developing software enhancement for 737 MAX following two fatal crashes
“We have decided to temporarily move from a production rate of 52 airplanes per month to 42 airplanes per month starting in mid-April,” he said in a statement.
“At a production rate of 42 airplanes per month, the 737 program and related production teams will maintain their current employment levels while we continue to invest in the broader health and quality of our production system and supply chain.”
Additionally, Muilenburg said that he’s asked the Boeing Board of Directors to establish a committee to review the company-wide policies and processes for the design and development of the airplanes they build.
On March 13, Canada’s Transportation Minister Marc Garneau said that as a result of new data received, a safety notice was issued to restrict the commercial operation of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 and MAX 9 models in Canada and Canadian airspace.
The announcement came three days after an Ethiopian Airlines flight crashed on March 10, killing all 157 passengers on board, including 18 Canadians.
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