Boeing will pay $6.6 million to settle FAA allegations
Federal regulators have imposed $5.4 million in civil penalties against Boeing on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, for violating terms of a $12 million settlement in 2015, and the aircraft maker has agreed to pay another $1.21 million to settle two current enforcement cases. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)Federal regulators have imposed $5.4 million in civil penalties against Boeing for violating terms of a $12 million settlement in 2015, and the aircraft maker has agreed to pay another $1.21 million to settle two current enforcement cases. Under terms of the previous settlement, Boeing can't appeal the new penalty, the FAA said. Boeing admitted that two former employees misled FAA about a key flight system implicated in the crashes. The two new enforcement cases for which Boeing will pay $1.21 million involve a program under which Boeing employees conduct safety assessments on new planes on behalf of the FAA.
Boeing posts $8.4 billion loss on weaker demand for planes
Boeing said Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021, it lost $8.4 billion in the fourth quarter on weaker demand for planes during the pandemic. However, the biggest piece of the fourth-quarter loss reported Wednesday was a pretax charge of $6.5 billion tied to its newest plane, the bigger 777X. It all added up to a record full-year loss of $11.94 billion. Boeing lost $14.65 per share, much worse than the $1.64 per share loss that Wall Street expected, according to a FactSet survey. Besides the 777X write-down, Boeing took several other charges including $744 million for the Max settlement with the Justice Department.
Regulators to examine pilot training for Boeing 737 Max jets
Aviation regulators and pilots from several countries will begin next week reviewing Boeingโs proposal for training pilots to fly the revamped 737 Max, a sign that the grounded plane is moving closer to returning to service. The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday that the review will start Monday at Londonโs Gatwick Airport and last about nine days. The review will include aviation officials and pilots from the United States, Canada, Brazil and the European Union. A spokesman for Chicago-based Boeing said the company expects to win regulatory approval to resume shipping new Max jets in the fourth quarter. Earlier Friday, Europeโs flight safety authority said the first flight tests for the Max were completed.
Boeing finds new problem with 787 that will delay deliveries
Inspections triggered by production flaws in Boeings 787 jetliner are further slowing deliveries of the two-aisle planes, compounding Boeings struggle to recover from the grounding of its 737 Max and the coronavirus pandemic. The affected planes havent been delivered to customers yet, and We expect these inspections to affect the timing of 787 deliveries in the near term, spokesman Peter Pedraza said in a statement. Boeing doesnt believe it is an immediate safety issue but could lead to premature aging of the fuselage, and it is delaying some 787 deliveries while determining whether repairs are needed on planes that have already been delivered. Boeing is still working with U.S. and foreign regulators to clear the Max for return to flying after two deadly crashes. Boeing dispatched a Max to Vancouver on Tuesday for flight tests this week with European regulators.
Flight testing for Boeings 737 Max could begin Monday
Flight-certification testing for Boeing's 737 Max, which has been grounded since March 2019 because of two deadly crashes, could begin as early as Monday, according to an Federal Aviation Administration email sent Sunday to congressional oversight committees. The company needs clearance from the FAA before the planes can fly again, and the test flights, with FAA test pilots, are a key step. They would take several days and would evaluate Boeings proposed changes to the automated flight control system on the Max. Boeing said it deferred to the FAA and global regulators on the Max certification process. Nearly 400 Max planes had been delivered to airlines before they were grounded, and Boeing has built several hundred more.