Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 in Phoenix, Arizona. Picture: GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/RALPH FRESO
Last week, the US Federal Aviation Administration told aircraft operators to inspect 165 older 737 NG planes for structural cracks within seven days, after cracking was found on a small number of planes. Nearly all the 165 jets were Southwest aircraft, officials said. First delivered in 1997, the NG is the third generation of the 737, preceding the grounded MAX, which is unaffected by the cracking issues.
The inspections were ordered following the discovery of cracks on a part known as the “pickle fork”, which attaches the fuselage to the wing structure and manages forces. Minor aircraft cracks are not unusual, an industry source said, but are not normally expected to occur on the pickle fork until near the end of the plane’s lifespan, typically considered to be more than 90,000 take-off and landing cycles.
Aircraft that have carried out more than 30,000 flight legs, or cycles, must be checked within seven days, the safety regulator said, while those with 22,600 to 29,999 cycles must be checked before completing a further 1,000. Boeing has been in touch with 737 NG operators about the inspections, the manufacturer said earlier, emphasising that “no in-service issues have been reported”.
Jeju Air, a South Korean low-cost operator, has also completed the majority of required checks, while inspections are ongoing at domestic rival Jin Air and had been completed at Eastar Jet. None of the three airlines had found any issues, they said.Morocco’s national carrier Royal Air Maroc has suspended a deal to purchase two more Boeing 737 MAX jets after the same model of aircraft crashed in Ethiopia, a source from the airline told Reuters on Thursday.
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