From Fortune:

Boeing reported a problem with 737 jet fuselages, potentially delaying delivery of 50 aircraft. The company’s CEO said misdrilled holes were found in fuselages made by Spirit AeroSystems of Wichita, Kansas. Boeing is under scrutiny after an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 emergency landing and the FAA grounded all Max 9s in the U.S.

Boeing is facing scrutiny over potential issues with 737 jet fuselages, delaying the delivery of 50 737 jets. This is just the latest of their manufacturing issues, after a worker discovered misdrilled holes in fuselages, made by Spirit AeroSystems. Boeing is currently under the magnifying glass after the emergency landing of an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 on Jan. 5.

The company has admitted that this problem was discovered by an employee of the supplier of the fuselages, who discovered potential misdrilled holes. The NTSB and FAA are investigating these potential quality control issues for the company and its suppliers. At present, the Max 9s in the U.S. have been grounded and it’s uncertain when they will return to service.

The NTSB is currently investigating the door-blowout incident to determine whether Boeing and its suppliers have followed quality control procedures in the manufacturing of 737 planes. Alaska and United Airlines reported finding loose hardware in door plugs of other planes inspected after the blowout incident, which has led to both airlines grounding their Max 9s. The FAA has since approved the inspection and maintenance process for the planes to return to flying.

Boeing announced their withdrawal of the safety exemption requested to certify their new 737 Max 7 airliner. This is due to the plane not meeting a safety standard. The FAA grounded their Max 9 airliners two weeks after the door-blowout after inspection, yet Alaska and United Airlines have returned some of their plans to service already.



Read more: Boeing warns that it’s found a new problem with misdrilled holes in 737 fuselages that could cause more delays