Boeing Faces Another Manufacturing Delay Affecting 50 Planes
2024-02-07
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1Boeing announced this week that it was delaying the delivery of about 50 new planes to its customers because of a newly discovered manufacturing problem.
2The American airplane company is under increased scrutiny after part of one of its latest 737 passenger airplanes blew open mid-flight in early January.
3The unused door opening of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 blew out on January 5 as it took off from Portland, Oregon.
4The part is called a "door plug." It closes off a space that would normally have an emergency exit in it.
5The door plug permits air carriers to have a few more seats on the plane instead of the exit.
6No one was hurt in the Alaska Airlines incident, but the plane suffered serious damage.
7Investigators said bolts meant to secure the door plug were not tightened properly.
8Many airplanes owned by Alaska Airlines and United Airlines were prevented from flying as the panels were fixed. Most are now flying again.
9The American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) restricted the production of Max 9 planes until it is satisfied with Boeing's safety measures.
10Now another problem has come up.
11An employee of a company that makes parts for Boeing said some holes were not drilled correctly in the window frames of some Max jets.
12That company, Spirit AeroSystems, is also being looked at in more detail after the Alaska Airlines incident.
13Its parts were used to secure the door that blew out in January.
14One of Boeing's top leaders is Stan Deal.
15In a letter, Deal wrote that the company would have to "perform rework on about 50 undelivered planes," but it is not a safety problem for airplanes currently in use.
16The continued problems caused the leader of another airline, Emirates, to criticize Boeing.
17Tim Clark is the president of Emirates, a major airline based in Dubai. He noted a "progressive decline."
18He said the manufacturer must "instill a safety culture which is second to none," noting the company's leaders likely understand this is their last chance to regain lost confidence.
19Both United Airlines and Alaska Airlines have expressed their anger at Boeing in recent weeks.
20United's leader, Scott Kirby, said it may consider purchasing planes from another manufacturer in the future.
21The FAA said it is paying more attention to Boeing's large production center in Washington state.
22Jodi Baker is the agency's deputy associate administrator for aviation safety.
23Baker said the FAA plans to visit the factory and talk with employees who build the airplanes to find out about their concerns and the company's safety culture.
24Because of the recent problems, Boeing said it would withdraw a request it made with the FAA.
25The company wanted permission to deliver a smaller version of the 737 MAX airplane before redesigning a system that prevents the build-up of ice on engine inlets.
26I'm Dan Friedell.
1Boeing announced this week that it was delaying the delivery of about 50 new planes to its customers because of a newly discovered manufacturing problem. 2The American airplane company is under increased scrutiny after part of one of its latest 737 passenger airplanes blew open mid-flight in early January. 3The unused door opening of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 blew out on January 5 as it took off from Portland, Oregon. The part is called a "door plug." It closes off a space that would normally have an emergency exit in it. The door plug permits air carriers to have a few more seats on the plane instead of the exit. 4No one was hurt in the Alaska Airlines incident, but the plane suffered serious damage. 5Investigators said bolts meant to secure the door plug were not tightened properly. Many airplanes owned by Alaska Airlines and United Airlines were prevented from flying as the panels were fixed. Most are now flying again. 6The American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) restricted the production of Max 9 planes until it is satisfied with Boeing's safety measures. 7Now another problem has come up. 8An employee of a company that makes parts for Boeing said some holes were not drilled correctly in the window frames of some Max jets. 9That company, Spirit AeroSystems, is also being looked at in more detail after the Alaska Airlines incident. Its parts were used to secure the door that blew out in January. 10One of Boeing's top leaders is Stan Deal. In a letter, Deal wrote that the company would have to "perform rework on about 50 undelivered planes," but it is not a safety problem for airplanes currently in use. 11The continued problems caused the leader of another airline, Emirates, to criticize Boeing. 12Tim Clark is the president of Emirates, a major airline based in Dubai. He noted a "progressive decline." He said the manufacturer must "instill a safety culture which is second to none," noting the company's leaders likely understand this is their last chance to regain lost confidence. 13Both United Airlines and Alaska Airlines have expressed their anger at Boeing in recent weeks. United's leader, Scott Kirby, said it may consider purchasing planes from another manufacturer in the future. 14The FAA said it is paying more attention to Boeing's large production center in Washington state. Jodi Baker is the agency's deputy associate administrator for aviation safety. Baker said the FAA plans to visit the factory and talk with employees who build the airplanes to find out about their concerns and the company's safety culture. 15Because of the recent problems, Boeing said it would withdraw a request it made with the FAA. The company wanted permission to deliver a smaller version of the 737 MAX airplane before redesigning a system that prevents the build-up of ice on engine inlets. 16I'm Dan Friedell. 17Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by the Associated Press. 18____________________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20scrutiny -n. the act of investigating or looking closely at something or someone 21bolt -n. a fastener which secures two pieces together using a screw 22frame -n. an outer structure that holds something else in 23undelivered -adj. something not given or sent to the person who ordered it 24decline -n. a decrease in height or quality 25instill -v. to cause something to be created over time through thoughtful effort 26aviation -n. the industry of flight in the Earth's atmosphere 27inlet -n. an opening that leads into an engine 28We want to hear from you. Are you concerned about flying on planes made by Boeing?