Boeing plans to move MAX wiring before jet’s return

Boeing is now be planning to move wiring bundles on the 737 MAX as part of the work it will need to have the grounded jet cleared by regulators and said it is planning to separate certain wiring bundles on its 737 MAX to comply with the Federal Aviation Administration before the aircraft is returned to service.

According to a report from Reuters, citing unnamed sources said to be familiar with the company’s plans, the manufacturer believes the changes will not add new delays to what it hopes will be a mid-year return of the grounded jet.

The 737 MAX has been grounded since March 2019 after two crashes in five months killed all 346 people aboard the aircraft.

The wiring issue was separate from the initial software upgrades Boeing implemented and was flagged by the FAA as part of the ongoing re-certification process.

While Boeing maintained the bundles didn’t need to be moved, FAA Administrator Steve Dickson confirmed this week that the agency had rejected the company’s proposal to leave them in place.

The FAA’s contention has been that their placement was a short-circuit risk.

The sources told Reuters that, following FAA approval of the new plan, Boeing will physically separate the wiring as part of work that will be needed before the grounding order is lifted.

Those sources said that work could take around a week for each plane, but that some of it will be done as the hundreds of grounded jets are removed from storage.

The company and the FAA declined to comment.

Spirit AeroSystems Inc. in Wichita is a major supplier on the 737 MAX, building around 70 percent of the structure on the plane as part of a program that drives around half of its annual sales.

Spirit (NYSE: SPR) has previously said it hopes to slowly restart its own output sometime this month after production was temporarily halted to start the year as Boeing awaited re-certification.

However, the local supplier has also said that those plans remain contingent on Boeing and the specific timing of the MAX’s return. www.bizjournals.com