Boeing is cutting back on its production of 737 MAX airplanes because it wants to dedicate more resources to updating plane software, according to a statement from its CEO.
The aircraft producer says the production decrease won’t impact employment, but will allow teams to shift focus to finalizing a fix for the 737 MAXs, which includes the MAX 8 – the line of jets involved in the fatal Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines plane crashes.
Boeing has acknowledged the “common chain link” between the accidents was it’s Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System or MCAS, an anti-stall feature that's automatically activated in-flight. As Newsy has previously reported, the MCAS pulls the plane's nose down automatically if data says the nose's angle is too high. But if the sensor is wrong, the MCAS would force the nose of the plane down anyway — leading to a nosedive.
The company says it's developing a fix for the problem and will continue to do more software testing, demo flights and work with regulators before putting the planes back in service. It’ll also form a committee to review company wide policies and airplane design and development processes.
Boeing hasn’t provided a timeline as to when the 737 MAX’s will be back in operation but assured passengers and crews “it will be as safe as any airplane ever to fly.”
Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN.
