The prestige and passenger reliability of Boeing’s aircraft is shaken, as every new aircraft built is subject to scrutiny. Three out of four models make emergency landings due to various problems, putting passengers at risk.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has opened a new investigation into Boeing after the company voluntarily informed the agency that it may not have completed the required inspections to confirm adequate grip and grounding at the point where the wings join the fuselage on a certain 787 Dreamliner aircraft, a spokesperson for the FAA has revealed.
The agency (FAA) confirmed to US network FOX in an official statement that it is investigating whether Boeing completed the inspections and whether company officials falsified aircraft records.
Τhe United Arab Emirates, one of the US aerospace giant’s biggest customers, is calling on Boeing to “wake up” and take immediate action to address the ever-worsening safety crisis.
The problems have dented passenger confidence and caused serious delays in deliveries. The 787 Dreamliner is also officially under investigation by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
“We are not happy with what is happening,” Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Maktoum, chairman and CEO of Emirates Airline, told CNBC. Having ordered 245 passenger aircraft and five 778 fighters, the United Arab Emirates is perhaps Boeing’s most important customer. In the first quarter of 2024, however, the US airline’s deliveries fell to their lowest levels since mid-2021 as it had to deal with a series of incidents, the most serious being the detachment of a fuselage section from a 737 Max 9 in flight last January.
On January 5, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX-9 flying from Portland to Ontario, California, was forced to make an emergency landing in Oregon after a door seal popped during flight, causing rapid decompression. Fortunately, no one was sitting next to the faulty door and the pilots were able to land the plane without harming any passengers.
