A “possible electrical problem” has forced major airlines to withdraw from service dozens of recently delivered 737 Max aircraft, CBS News has confirmed, a move that could lead to a series of canceled flights.
The outage comes in response to a Boeing announcement this morning. The Seattle-based manufacturer recommends that all 16 customers who have “a specific group of 737 Max aircraft” with “specific queue numbers” address the issue before operating the aircraft. Boeing tells CBS News that the problem was “discovered on a production plane” during manufacturing. In a statement to CBS News, the FAA confirmed that it received news from Boeing Thursday night that an electrical complication could affect a “safety power control unit.”
“This potential problem was discovered on a production aircraft during normal construction activity,” the company said in a statement. “We are informing our customers of the specific queue numbers affected and our team is also addressing the issue with undelivered aircraft being affected.”
It is the latest challenge for the manufacturer and its 737 Max, which was banned for 20 months by the Federal Aviation Administration after two crashes in five months that killed 346 people. An automated flight control feature, called MCAS, was blamed for the crashes, prompting an intense review of the new model. The U.S. ban was lifted in November.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Friday that the FAA is closely monitoring the issue.
“I understand that this is different from any of these other issues and obviously we need to make sure there is full confidence before these specific aircraft return to the air,” Buttigieg said in response to the question. of a journalist during a White House briefing. .
Boeing said Friday that the potential electrical problem is separate and unrelated to MCAS, and that not all 737 Max aircraft are affected. These aircraft were not used before the grounding and ban.
The four American carriers flying the plane are affected. Southwest withdraws 30 aircraft from its schedule, while American Airlines eliminates 17. United said 16 of its 737 Max aircraft are now out of rotation. Alaska, which just acquired its MAXs earlier this year and began flying them last month, has withdrawn four from service for inspection and repair work.
Brandi Kellam contributed to this report.