Facing scrutiny over quality control, Boeing withdraws request for safety exemption

SEATTLE — Facing severe criticism after a door plug blew out of a 737 Max over Oregon this month, Boeing said Monday it is withdrawing a request for a safety exemption needed to certify a new model of the plane.

The company late last year asked federal regulators for permission to deliver its 737 Max 7 plane to customers even though it does not meet a safety standard designed to prevent part of the engine casing from overheating and breaking off in flight.

But after a door panel from another version of the plane – a Max 9 – exploded on January 5, leaving a gaping hole in the fuselage of an Alaska Airlines flight from Portland, Oregon, the company’s quality control and commitment to safety have been questioned.

Last week, Democratic Sens. Maria Cantwell, chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and Tammy Duckworth, chairman of the Aviation Safety Subcommittee, urged the Federal Aviation Administration to deny the request.

Boeing said Monday it would withdraw it.

“We are committed to being transparent, listening to all our stakeholders and taking action to strengthen safety and quality at Boeing,” the company said in a written statement.

The safety standard involves an anti-icing system, and the problem affects other models of the 737 Max already flying.

Federal officials said last year that Boeing was working to resolve the hazard on current Max planes, and in the meantime, regulators urged pilots to limit use of the de-icing system in dry conditions. because the intakes around the engines could become too hot and parts of the casing could escape and hit the aircraft, possibly breaking windows and causing rapid decompression.

The problem only affects the Max, as it has engine intakes made from carbon composite materials instead of metal.

The company had hoped to deliver its new, smaller Max 7 to customers and let pilots operate the model under the guidance of Max 8 and Max 9 pilots. It requested an exemption until May 2026 while it worked on a long-term solution.

In its statement, Boeing said that while the company believed the waiver request followed “established FAA processes to ensure safe operation,” it “will instead incorporate an engineering solution that will be completed during the certification process .”

“This is good news,” Cantwell said in an emailed statement Monday evening. “I hope this means they can quickly develop a design that meets the requirements for other MAX aircraft.”

The FAA grounded all Max 9s in the US the day after the eruption. Last week, the agency approved the inspection and maintenance process to return the planes to service, and Alaska and United Airlines — the only two U.S. airlines flying Max 9s — have begun returning them to service in recent days number of aircraft.

Southwest Airlines, the main customer for the Max 7, said last week it had removed the model from its 2024 fleet plans, while Boeing is working with the FAA to certify it.

The FAA said last year that it had received no reports of the overheating problem on Max flights, but that it had warned pilots because of the severity of the risk, which was discovered during a test flight.

The 737 Max entered service in May 2017. Two of the planes crashed in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 people. All Max jets were grounded worldwide for nearly two years while the company made changes to an automated flight control system that pushed the nose down based on faulty sensor readings.

More recently, Max deliveries have been paused to fix manufacturing defects, and last month the company ordered airlines to inspect the planes for a possible loose bolt in the rudder control system.

Stan Deal, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said in a message to Boeing employees on Friday that the company’s most immediate goal is to help airlines recover operations.

“Frankly, we have disappointed and let them down,” he wrote. “We are deeply sorry for the significant disruption and frustration to our customers, some of whom have been publicly and unfairly criticized.”