WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st January, 2020) Boeing has officially stopped producing the 737 MAX aircraft for an undetermined period of time as uncertainty and controversy continue to dodge the jet, grounded for ten months now after two fatal crashes, CNN reported on Tuesday.
Boeing had announced plans to temporarily halt production on the MAX for an undetermined period in December and did not disclose a precise day, but confirmed to CNN on Monday that its assembly line in Renton, Washington, "has stopped building Boeing's bestselling plane."
The report said Boeing will not furlough or lay off workers because of its decision, but added that "pain will ripple through its supply chain and could hurt America's economic growth."
The shutdown will make restarting production and recovering from the crisis more difficult for Boeing once the manufacturer obtains permission for the plane to fly again, the report added.
The 737 MAX has been grounded by aviation authorities since March following two fatal crashes that killed 346 people on board. The investigation into the crashes revealed errors in the functioning of the jet's Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System.
Although Boeing could not deliver the MAX planes to customers, the company had continued to build the aircraft, albeit at a slightly reduced pace of 42 a month. Boeing now has about 400 completed jets parked in Washington and Texas waiting to be delivered to airlines around the world.
On Thursday, Southwest Airlines said it has extended until June 6 its decision not to have the MAX on its flight schedule, indicating that it expected the crisis concerning the jet to drag at least another five months.
