Airlines warned of potentially defective 737 wing parts
Boeing has said a number of airlines need to replace a potentially faulty part on the wings of up to 133 of its 737-type aircraft.
The company made the announcement after an issue with ‘slat tracks’ was identified by US aviation regulators.
The issue relates to the grounded Boeing 737 MAX and an earlier 737 generation aircraft, according to reports.
The Federal Aviation Administration says several planes are likely to have faulty parts installed and has ordered Boeing to replace them.
Boeing has identified 21 aircraft most likely to have the parts in question, but is also advising airlines, which it did not identify, to check an additional 112 planes, according to Sky News.
It said the slat tracks were manufactured by a third party and need to be replaced before the aircraft return to the air.
The FAA said a complete failure of a leading edge slat track would not result in the loss of the aircraft, but a failed part could cause aircraft damage in flight.
The warning is the latest in a series of issues for Boeing. Its 737 MAX was grounded globally in March following a fatal Ethiopian Airlines crash after a similar Lion Air disaster in Indonesia in October.
The two crashes together killed 346 people.
Boeing has yet to submit a software upgrade to the FAA as it works to get approval to end the grounding of the 737 MAX.
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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