Boeing Discovers New Problem With Windows on Its Planes

Aircraft manufacturer Boeing may have to delay some deliveries of new 737 MAX planes after one of its suppliers discovered issues with some of the window frames among those on the production line.

Two misdrilled holes in window frames on some fuselages had been found by Spirit AeroSystems, which supplies fuselage parts to the American manufacturer, leading to spacing problems.

In a letter to staff, Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Stan Deal said the company had been notified of "a non-conformance" in some of the fuselages, adding: "While this potential condition is not an immediate flight safety issue and all 737s can continue operating safely, we currently believe we will have to perform rework on about 50 undelivered airplanes."

He wrote that the 737 team would spend "several days" this week in Boeing's Renton, Washington, factory to focus on quality and safety on the production line.

A spokesperson for Boeing told Newsweek that the issue related to two holes that "were found not to meet precise specifications" and that there was "no immediate safety-of-flight impact" on its existing fleet.

They said that the company will continue to deliver 737 MAX airplanes that were not affected by the manufacturing issue, and it "will ensure undelivered airplanes with this issue meet our exacting specifications before delivery."

"A member of our team identified an issue that does not conform to engineering standards," Joe Buccino, a spokesperson for Spirit, told Newsweek. "We are in close communication with Boeing on this issue."

Boeing's manufacturing processes have been under increased scrutiny after a window panel of an Alaska Airlines flight traveling from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California, broke away a few minutes after takeoff in early January. The flight returned to Portland and was able to land safely.

The section that broke away was known as a door plug—a window panel slotted into a hole in the fuselage that can accommodate an emergency exit. Airlines have since raised concerns about bolts holding in the plugs being loose.

The same day the incident occurred, Alaska Airlines opted to ground its fleet of 65 Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes while it carried out inspections.

The following day, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded all Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes with door plugs operating within the U.S. so they could undergo immediate inspections.

Boeing has said it "deeply regret[s]" the January 5 incident, and that it would fully cooperate with a federal investigation. Deal also announced that the company was increasing quality inspections on its production line and had commissioned an independent assessment of its quality control.

While Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci has affirmed the airline's long-running commitment to Boeing following the incident, other executives have suggested they might take their business elsewhere.

Sir Tim Clark, president of Emirates Airlines, told the Financial Times on Sunday that Boeing was in the "last chance saloon" after a "progressive decline" in standards.

He also said that, for the first time, the airline would send its engineers to inspect the production line at Boeing and Spirit as the implicit trust in the manufacturer had gone. "The fact that we're having to do that is testament to what has happened," he added.

When asked to comment, the Boeing spokesperson directed Newsweek to comments by president and CEO Dave Calhoun during a January 31 earnings call regarding customer dissatisfaction, in which he said: "We understand why they are angry and we will work to earn their confidence."

Calhoun also said that the increased scrutiny on its production processes "will make us better," and though Boeing had "taken close care" not to push its production line too far, the January 5 incident "makes it absolutely clear we have more work to do."

Update 2/5/24, 6:20 a.m. ET: This article was updated with further information and to include comment from a Boeing spokesperson.

Update 2/5/24, 8:10 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include comment from a Spirit spokesperson.