Pressure continues to build on Boeing, as the Federal Aviation Administration in a new letter to the aircraft maker has said that it is planning to review each and every Boeing 737 Max aircraft individually before they can be delivered to customers.
This definitely is a big blow to the aircraft maker, which only a couple of weeks back had said that it is expecting the aircraft to return to service as early as in January while deliveries could resume from December. The company has already been reeling under pressure with declining orders amid stiff competition from rival Airbus.
FAA tightens noose on Boeing
In a letter to Boeing, the Federal Aviation Administration has said that hundreds of Boeing 737 Max planes which are currently in storage pose a challenge of airworthiness certificates and demand for scrutiny for the safety and security of passengers.
The letter read: "Large number of new 737 MAX airplanes currently in storage presents a number of challenges for airworthiness certification, production, and delivery which significantly exceed any that the Boeing system has previously experienced," according to CNBC. This is the third time the Federal Aviation Administration has spoken in the last couple of weeks on the controversial aircraft.
Crisis deepens for Boeing
Boeing has been mired in controversy for months now. Its best-selling aircraft 737 Max has been grounded since March following two fatal accidents in Indonesia and Ethiopia that killed 346 people. The aircrafts remain grounded following orders of the Federal Aviation Administration, which has said that the aircraft will be back in service only after inspection.
Since then, the company has halted deliveries of its 737 Max aircrafts and has also cut down on production. Earlier this month, Boeing had said that it expects the aircraft to return as early as in December.
However, the very next day, the FAA administrator Steve Dickson said that he has asked his team to take the required time to scrutinize the plane. This was the first indication that 737 Max's return could further get delayed.
The new letter further affirms that Boeing 737 Max's return isn't happening so soon. If FAA decides to inspect each aircraft individually, it could take months given that there are hundreds of 737 Max aircrafts in storage waiting to be delivered.
At the same time airline companies across the world have been incurring heavy losses owing to the grounding of hundreds of 737 Max aircrafts.
