Boeing's Latest Trouble Raises Specter of Costly Delays

Boeing may face an uphill battle getting their Max 10 in under the wire, as the clock runs out on their chance to certify the 737 Max 10 variant without a major flight control system redesign.

Oregon representative and leader of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Peter DeFazio said that the FAA shouldn't give the company any more slack on the certification process. 

“The aircraft certification bill gave the FAA a two-year grace period to certify aircraft without the advanced flight crew alerting system, but that grace period should not be extended,” he said, referring to the soon-to-be-mandatory Engine Indicating and Crew Alerting System (EICAS), which will be mandatory for any aircraft certified from 2023 onwards. Boeing has received a good deal of leeway to continue certifying 737-series aircraft without it, ostensibly due to its extensive safety history - though it wouldn't be outlandish to assume some amount of lobbying carried the weight there.

The FAA has notified Boeing of its concerns that work on the Max 10 would not be completed before the year's end deadline, and an extension seems controversial. The administration is in a troublesome spot: Boeing is an American icon, the backbone of the aviation industry, and its Max 10 is required to take on the comparable Airbus A321neo, despite the fact that it fails to meet standards imposed by law. Adding the required changes would necessitate an entire redesign of the flight deck's layout, and is so considerably expensive for an aircraft that's nearly complete, it's nearly unthinkable for the manufacturer. The EICAS system has been deferred for the manufacturer by 2 years already, and there seems to be a feeling around capitol hill that Boeing can only say "5 more minutes!" so many times until the FAA begins to look snookered. 

Maria Cantwell, chairwoman of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation committee, leans towards granting the company additional time to get their ducks in a row, in contrast to DeFazio. In the aftermath of highly visible issues like the 737 Max debacle or the 777's QC problems, some feel that Boeing has received plenty of special treatment from the FAA. Cantwell has said that she would be willing to grant Boeing additional time, being amenable to the extension by 6 months if Boeing says it's needed. How much of a political battle it would be to gain those months, however, is unknown. The immediate future of the Max 10 remains in a kind of Limbo, and Boeing execs are crossing their fingers. 

FMI: www.boeing.com