Boeing says the pandemic will reduce demand for new planes for the next decade, long after experts expect a vaccine for COVID-19. The company updated its forecast of the airplane market on Tuesday. It remains upbeat about long-term prospects driven by increasing air travel in Asia. Boeing, which along with Europe’s Airbus dominates the aircraft-building industry, has seen orders and deliveries of new planes crumble this year. The Chicago-based company was already under pressure from the grounding last year of its best-selling plane, the 737 Max, after two deadly crashes.
By DAVID KOENIG
Posted inArticle, Business
FAA seeks $19.7 million penalty against Boeing over sensors
Federal regulators want to fine Boeing $19.7 million for using sensors that weren’t listed as compatible with systems that pilots use to see instrument displays without looking down at the dashboard. Those systems are called heads-up displays, and they let pilots see their altitude and speed while keeping their eyes on the windshield. The Federal Aviation Administration says Boeing installed unlisted sensors on nearly 800 planes including Boeing 737 Max jets and older versions of the 737. Boeing says the dispute is about documentation and is not a safety-related matter. Boeing has 30 days to respond to the FAA.
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Boeing finds a new issue with Max, debris in fuel tanks
Boeing has a new problem with the grounded 737 Max. The company has found debris inside the fuel tanks of some of the planes. Boeing said Tuesday the problem was discovered during maintenance work on planes that have been built but haven’t been delivered to airlines because the Max is still grounded after two deadly crashes. Boeing is testing changes in flight-control software after two crashes killed 346 people in Indonesia and Ethiopia. Boeing says the fuel-tank issue won’t change the company’s expectation that regulators will certify the plane to fly again sometime in mid-2020.
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FAA boss said concerned Boeing eager for quick return of Max
The head of the Federal Aviation Administration is concerned that Boeing is pushing for an unrealistically quick return of its grounded 737 Max and appears to be pressuring the regulator. That’s according to a senior FAA official who relayed Dickson’s concerns to Congress. Meanwhile, Boeing’s CEO met with FAA Administrator Stephen Dickson to discuss the ongoing grounding of the plane. The meeting comes as evidence grows that the Max grounding will drag on even longer. American Airlines is now removing the plane from its schedule until at least early April, a month longer than before.
