“We are in communication with Boeing to understand the timeline for returning the aircraft safely to our fleet.
“We are working to swap out aircraft to minimize the impact to our customers,” it said. United said the problem affects 16 of its 30 Max planes. It says those planes will be replaced by other aircraft and that it “anticipates minimal disruption to our operation” since it flies Maxes on a limited schedule and the planes account for only a fraction of its planes in service. Southwest, which owns the most 737 Max planes, said Friday that the issue affects 30 of those 58 jets in its fleet. (UAL) have placed orders for additional 737 Max jets since the grounding was lifted. (ALK) - have the 737 Max planes in their fleets and are currently flying them. The airlines do not need to cancel flights to replace planes in their fleets. Southwest just placed the biggest Boeing 737 Max order since it was groundedĪfter a year of very weak demand for air travel, air traffic has picked up in recent months, especially in the United States. (Photo by Barry Ambrose/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Barry Ambrose/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images Southwest Airlines had to temporarily store all of its 737 MAX fleet due to the worldwide grounding order as a result of a faulty automated flight control system which is suspected to have contributed to the types crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia that killed 346 people. VICTORVILLE, CA - MARCH 31: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX airliners sit at the Southern Logistics Airport on March 31, 2020, in Victorville, CA. The planes are more fuel efficient and have lower maintenance costs than earlier versions of the 737, which have remained in service during the grounding. Many airlines that own the planes have been eager to get them back in service despite having many of their planes still parked during a period of reduced air traffic caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
But he noted it’s a good sign for the plane - and its safety - that the potential threat was discovered before there was an incident. The fact that the planes were grounded indicates that this is potentially a “catastrophic” problem that could have caused a fire, Soucie said. The system is roughly analogous to the circuit breaker panel in a house. (BA) did not identify which 16 airlines are affected by this alert, or how many of the planes are affected by the problem.ĬNN safety analyst David Soucie said he believes the issue specifically involves a backup to the main power system that powers all of the aircraft’s electrical parts. The grounding cost Boeing more than $20 billion. Although the FAA has approved the fixes that Boeing made to the malfunctioning safety system blamed for the crashes, several other countries, including China, have yet to clear the plane to fly again. The company said it is working with the US Federal Aviation Administration to address the problem.Īll of the planes were grounded for 20 months worldwide from March 2019 through November of 2020 following two fatal crashes that killed 346 people. “Boeing has recommended to 16 customers that they address a potential electrical issue in a specific group of 737 Max airplanes prior to further operations,” the company said.Īirlines need to verify that one of the components of the plane’s electrical system is sufficiently grounded, Boeing stated. Boeing announced a new problem with the troubled 737 Max – this time, the issue is with its electrical system.
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