EVERETT, US- The US Planemaker Boeing has started to fix its new-found issue on the 737 MAX, with Qatar Airways (QR) aircraft being the first to be reworked on STA 1016 fitting.
According to the source, Boeing will deliver the Qatar Airways 737 MAX on June 16, 2023. Further, the aircraft is last seen in QR livery at Paine Field Airport (PAE) in Everett.
Boeing Starts Fixing 737 MAX Issue
The Paine Airport, aka mattcawby, on Twitter, shared the information. The page further wrote, “Qatar Airways 737 A7-BSI departing Paine Field on a customer flight. The first 737 to have the STA 1016 fitting rework completed at Everett, delivery flight scheduled for June 16.”
According to Aviation Flights, the QR Boeing 737 MAX A7-BSI has so far performed seven flights. The last flight was performed on June 9, 2023, probably after rework.
Now the question arises what is the issue with Boeing 737 MAX? We need to share the information from our previous articles to answer this.
New 737 MAX Production Defect
Boeing announced on April 13 that a production issue related to vertical stabilizer fittings will require repairs to be made on certain undelivered 737 MAX aircraft, resulting in a delay in deliveries. Further, the problem pertains to two out of eight fittings at Station (STA) 1016.
Spirit AeroSystems, one of the suppliers of these fittings, notified Boeing about the issue on April 12. It’s important to note that fittings supplied by other suppliers are unaffected by this problem.
Boeing is currently in the process of determining the exact number of aircraft that are impacted by this issue. However, it has been confirmed that airframes built from 2019 onwards are affected.
Boeing confirmed that the affected variants include the 737-7, -8, -8200, and the P-8 maritime patrol aircraft.
STA 1016 on the 737 corresponds to the location where the fuselage structural join occurs between Section 46 (aft body) and Section 48 (tail cone). This station serves as a reference point for the placement of the aft pressure bulkhead within the fuselage.
Qatar Airways 737 delivery Updates
The flag carrier of Qatar, Qatar Airways (QR), will take the delivery of all nine Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft by the end of this July. In the middle of April, the Gulf carrier received its first delivery of a batch of 737 MAXs, seizing the opportunity to introduce them to its fleet.
As reported by Aviation A2Z on April 29, 2023, Qatar Airways (QR) has received its initial delivery of a Boeing 737 MAX. Subsequently, the plane departed from the US for Doha, stopping in Iceland.
According to Qatar Airways, the airline has already equipped the Max 8s with streaming in-flight entertainment. Further, they have provided pilot training programs for the aircraft.
The airline added that the addition of the Max 8s will increase its capacity. Consequently, support its growth plans, particularly in the short-haul markets.
Qatar Airways has announced that it will use its newly acquired Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft on routes other than the Doha-Kuwait route.
The airline plans to operate these planes on routes to Gulf Co-operation Council primarily states to support its sustainable expansion plans. The modern and efficient aircraft will be a welcome addition to the airline’s narrowbody fleet.
Boeing Orders & Delivery data indicates that as of March 31, 2023, QR has 30 orders for the 737 MAX. Further, in December 2016, the Qatari airline ordered five 737 MAXs. However, in July 2022, the QR and Boeing announced that they had ordered 25 Boeing 737 MAX-10 aircraft.
Stay tuned with us. Further, follow us on social media for the latest updates.
Join us on Telegram Group for the Latest Aviation Updates. Subsequently, follow us on Google News.