Boeing Co said on Sunday it will have to do more work on about 50 undelivered 737 Max airplanes, potentially delaying near-term deliveries, after its supplier Spirit AeroSystems discovered two mis-drilled holes on some fuselages.
Boeing confirmed the findings in response to a Reuters query after industry sources said a spacing problem had been discovered in holes drilled on a window frame, but the jetmaker said safety was unaffected and existing 737s could keep flying.
Spirit manufactured and supplied the door assemblies that Boeing improperly installed.
Spirit installs the plugs before delivering to Boeing. If Boeing identifies issues with the plugs after they get the fuselages, it’s Spirit crews that are responsible for fixing them.
They also install the pressure bulkheads that they were misdrilling, which they knew were a problem for a year and covered up. They have a history of punishing internal inspectors for identifying problems.
Boeing has been dropping the ball on catching these issues, but with how many different subtle things Spirit has been screwing up, it’s likely Airbus has missed things too. Spirit’s management has no place in safety-critical industry.