According to the news of flying friends, Boeing has been "mixed" recently, and it is all related to the 737 MAX aircraft.
There are two things that are "happy". First things first: nearly five years later, Boeing delivered the first 737 MAX aircraft to China. China is one of the world's most important aviation markets, and the resumption of deliveries of 737 MAX aircraft to China, as well as the resumption of 787 aircraft deliveries to Chinese airlines in December, is a major positive for Boeing. China is one of the fastest-growing aviation markets, with Boeing expecting it to account for 20% of global aircraft demand by 2042.
The second thing is that the FAA announced on January 24 that it paved the way for the MAX 9 to return to service. The FAA ordered airlines to ground most 737 MAX 9 aircraft on Jan. 6. The day before, a MAX 9 plane of Alaska Airlines was involved in a cabin door crash. The FAA's announcement came as a relief to the affected airlines. Alaska Airlines expects its MAX 9 aircraft to return to commercial service starting Jan. 26. United Airlines aircraft could resume flying on January 28.
"Worryingly", the FA will suspend the expansion plan of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. "We will not agree to any request from Boeing to expand production, nor will we approve an increase in the 737 MAX's production line until we confirm that the quality control issues identified during this process have been resolved," said FAA Administrator Mike Whitake. The FAA said its production restrictions affect Boeing's 737 MAX model and do not involve other commercial aircraft made by the company.
The agency said it would freeze the pace of MAX production at current levels. Boeing's Renton, Washington, plant produces about 30 MAX aircraft per month. As a result, Boeing may not achieve its goal of producing 57 MAX aircraft per month until late 2026 or early 2027, which the company had hoped to achieve in 2025.
Boeing currently has a backlog of more than 4,300 undelivered 737 MAX aircraft. Boeing's aircraft delivery plans for this year may be reduced due to the suspension of the expansion plan. At the same time, the impact on Boeing is huge and long-term, and the delivery of the 737 MAX will be much lower than that of the A320neo aircraft, which will also have an impact on orders for this aircraft. As we all know, the 737 MAX is Boeing's "cash cow", and this "cash cow" is currently subject to a crisis of confidence in the market. Boeing could be further at a disadvantage in the competition with Airbus.