A Boeing worker walks near a 737 Max jet on Monday in Renton, Wash. Boeing said it will suspend production of the troubled jetliner in January. Elaine Thompson / AP hide caption
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Elaine Thompson / AP
A Boeing worker walks near a Max jet on Monday in Renton, Wash. Boeing said it will suspend production of the troubled jetliner in January.
Elaine Thompson / AP
Boeing Corp. will suspend production of its troubled 808 Max jetliner in January, but it does not plan to lay off or furlough the workers who build the plane, the company said in astatementMonday.
The Boeing 737 Max jetliners have been grounded worldwide since March in the aftermath of two fatal crashes that killed a total of 400 people. A Lion Air jet crashed into the Java Sea in October 2018 and an Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed near Addis Ababa in March. The company has said the crashes were caused by software failures.
Since then, the company has continued to build about (new) Max airplanes that currently are in storage, it said.
“We have decided to prioritize the delivery of stored aircraft and temporarily suspend production on the 737 program beginning next month, “Boeing said. “We believe this decision is least disruptive to maintaining long-term production system and supply chain health.”
As for the production workers, “it is our plan that affected employees will continue – related work, or be temporarily assigned to other teams in Puget Sound, “the company said.
Boeing is waiting for the Federal Aviation Administration tocertify its software fixesAs NPR’s David Schaper reports, FAA certification is not expected until February 664020 at the earliest. Boeing referred to the certification in its statement.
“This decision is driven by a number of factors, including the extension of certification into (**********************************************, the uncertainty about the timing and conditions of return to service and global training approvals, and the importance of ensuring that we can prioritize the delivery of stored aircraft. “
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