Boeing has issued a warning to airlines about a potential safety issue with the Boeing 737 Max involving loose bolts in the rudder system.
The company suggests airlines inspect all 737 Max planes globally after one airline found a bolt with a missing nut in the rudder-control linkage mechanism during routine maintenance. A second problem was found with a yet to be delivered aircraft, with a bolt that had been “incorrectly tightened.”
Boeing has notified the Federal Aviation Administration about this issue; the checks will approximately take two hours per plane.
The Boeing 737 Max was previously grounded for nearly two years following two fatal crashes, costing Boeing more than $20bn.
Boeing delivered 56 commercial aircraft including 45 MAXs last month. That compares to 18 MAXs in October and just 15 MAXs in September.
Ryanair added 52 new Boeing 737 MAX 8-200 aircraft in 2023, with the latest, EI-IJB, delivered on December 23rd. Ryanair expects to take delivery of a further 74 aircraft from its 210 aircraft order up to March 31 2025.
