Infrastructure

Boeing To Temporarily Suspend Production Of The 737 Max

The company said employees doing 737-related work will continue to do so or be temporarily assigned to other teams.

Boeing To Temporarily Suspend Production Of The 737 Max
Getty Images
SMS

Boeing announced it will temporarily suspend production of its 737 Max airplane starting in January. 

Boeing's board said there were a number of factors behind its decision, including "the extension of certification into 2020, the uncertainty about the timing and conditions of return to service and global training approvals, and the importance of ensuring that we can prioritize the delivery of stored aircraft."

The company said employees doing 737-related work will continue to do so or be temporarily assigned to other teams.

Global aviation regulators grounded the 737 Max back in March after two fatal crashes involving Boeing 737 Max 8s. 

Shortly after that, Boeing cut production of the planes by almost 20%. It's been building 42 planes a month ever since — but none have been delivered.

Boeing has also been working on a software update for the 737 Max to fix an issue investigators believe is related to the crashes. 

Boeing said Monday, "We know that the process of approving the 737 MAX's return to service, and of determining appropriate training requirements, must be extraordinarily thorough and robust, to ensure that our regulators, customers, and the flying public have confidence in the 737 MAX updates."

Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN