Boeing's current situation is really adding insult to injury. On Tuesday local time, the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States announced that it will investigate the front tire detachment accident of a Boeing 757 aircraft operated by Delta Air Lines.
According to a report by the New York Post on January 23rd, cited by Overseas News on January 24th, on the 20th local time, a Boeing 757 aircraft of Delta Air Lines had its tires detached before takeoff from Atlanta. The report stated that the aircraft was originally scheduled to fly to Bogota, Colombia, but was detected as abnormal by another flight while taxiing near its takeoff position. The cause of tire detachment is currently unclear.
A user of X posted that a Boeing 757 aircraft of Delta Air Lines was preparing to take off at Hartsfield Jackson International Airport in Atlanta when its tires suddenly fell off. Then the wheels rolled off the runway. The X user commented, "If it happens a few seconds later, it could be a major disaster." Musk responded to this message with an exclamation mark.
According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the Boeing 757 aircraft is a twin engine narrow body medium to long range transport aircraft produced by Boeing. In the mid-1970s, Boeing decided to develop a new 200 seat class aircraft model to replace the Boeing 727, initially named the 7N7 (N: Narrow Body). After receiving 40 launch orders from British Airways and Eastern Airlines, Boeing officially launched the 7N7 development plan in March 1979. Based on the Boeing 727, it adopted new wings and advanced engines to reduce fuel consumption and weight to reduce operating costs. At the end of 1979, the 7N7 was officially renamed as the Boeing 757. In the early stages of development, Boeing discovered that it was similar to the Boeing 767 developed at the same time. Boeing decided to modify some of the designs to make the new models, the Boeing 757 and the Boeing 767, interchangeable in design, manufacturing, and operation.
Due to decreasing market demand and competition from Airbus, Boeing officially announced on October 16, 2003 that it would cease production of Boeing 757 aircraft in 2004. Boeing also stated that the new generation Boeing 737 series and future Boeing 7E7 (now renamed B787) can cover the market of the Boeing 757, a 200 seater passenger aircraft. The last seven Boeing 757s on the production line were delivered to Shanghai Airlines and Xiamen Airlines in China from 2004 to early 2005. On October 28, 2004, the last B757 was produced, and the Boeing 757 was officially discontinued. Boeing produced a total of 1050 Boeing 757s.
In the past month, Boeing has been deeply embroiled in a quality scandal. Earlier, a Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft operated by Alaska Airlines experienced a door jam falling off during ascent, causing rapid pressure drop inside the cabin and even tearing the headrests on the seats. Subsequently, the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States intervened in the investigation and conducted inspections on all 737 series aircraft.
Meanwhile, Boeing announced on Tuesday that it will suspend quality at its 737 factory in Washington state on Thursday. Boeing Commercial Aircraft CEO Stan Deal stated that production, delivery, and service support at the factory will be suspended for one day on Thursday to allow employees to attend quality focused meetings.
According to CCTV News on January 24th, on January 23rd local time, Scott Kirby, CEO of United Airlines, stated that he was "disappointed" with Boeing's ongoing manufacturing problems, which have led to the grounding of dozens of United Airlines planes. The company will consider alternative purchasing options. Just the day before Kirby's statement, United Airlines revealed that it is expected to incur losses in the first three months of this year due to the Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft being required to be grounded due to an accident.
It is reported that United Airlines and Boeing have long-term orders for the Boeing 737 MAX 10 aircraft, but the launch of this model has been delayed by at least 5 years from the original plan and may be further delayed. Kirby stated that United Airlines will consider developing alternative solutions and revealed that it may purchase aircraft from Boeing's competitor, European aircraft manufacturer Airbus.
According to National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), on January 23 local time, Ben Minikuch, CEO of Alaska Airlines, stated that according to the company's latest internal inspection results of its Boeing 737 MAX 9 fleet, loose bolts were found on many Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft.
Minikuch expressed disappointment and anger at the inspection results and demanded that Boeing take measures to improve the quality of its products. Minikuch stated that Boeing now has a responsibility to demonstrate how it will improve its quality control and prevent safety accidents from happening again. Due to cautious considerations, Alaska Airlines is conducting additional supervision on Boeing's production line.
Daily Economic News Comprehensive Overseas Network, Civil Aviation Administration of China, CCTV News