Boeing Co (NYSE:BA, ETR:BCO)’s production of 737 MAX jets drastically reduced in the first quarter due to more rigorous quality checks and regulatory scrutiny.
According to consultancy firm Cirium Ascend, Boeing carried out test flights on new 13 MAXs in March and 11 in February, implying production at a similar level.
A Reuters-quoted industry source said monthly production had slipped as low as single digits by late March after output peaked at a rate of 38 last year.
A door panel fell from an Air Alaska-operated 737 MAX 9 variant in January prompting a brief grounding of the Boeing jets and a regulator-enforced cap on production.
Though this was set at 38 jets a month by the Federal Aviation Administration, reflecting previous production peaks, lower output reflected new audits at Boeing and the manufacturer carrying out more stringent safety work.
This includes a reduction in so-called “travelled work”, where planes move further down the production line, despite work still needing to be done from previous stations.
Boeing and rival Airbus Group (EPA:AIR) had already been grappling with output delays due to supply shortages.
Ryanair Holdings PLC (LSE:RYA) is among the airlines waiting on orders of Boeing 737 MAXs along with Delta Air Lines Inc (NYSE:DAL) and United Airlines Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:UAL, ETR:UAL1) in the US.