The US Federal Aviation Administration has issued a directive asking operators of Boeing 737 Max aircraft to check for cracks in a component that could affect the structural integrity of the aircraft.
The regulator said it estimated the directive would affect 471 jets made by the US company. The regulation "addresses an unsafe condition that is likely to exist or develop on products identified in this rule-making action", the FAA said on Thursday.
The directive came after there were reports of cracks in a structural support near the upper corner of the aircraft's forward galley door. The regulator said the cracks could spread to the fuselage, which may lead to the "inability of the principal structural element to sustain limit loads and adversely affect the structural integrity of the aereoplane".
The directive is to take effect on September 10, 2026, the FAA said. The checks would apply to the new-generation Max aircraft, including the 737-8, 737-9, and 737-8200 jets that are in service, it added.
Boeing said it had been working with airlines over the past six years after identifying the issue, Bloomberg reported. It said the FAA-mandated checks stem from similar inspections for older generation 737NG jets in 2021. The US plane maker said it had already conducted an engineering analysis and was working through changes to prevent future cracking, the report added.
The move comes a couple of weeks after the FAA said that seats on hundreds of Boeing 737 Max aircraft registered in the US may require inspections to verify whether they were incorrectly installed and needed to be fixed.
About 2,300 Boeing 737 Max aircraft are currently in service around the world, including 823 in the US, aviation intelligence firm IBA said.
The latest directive comes as Boeing seeks to improve manufacturing quality and increase production under chief executive Kelly Ortberg, following heightened regulatory scrutiny. The company's production issues came to the forefront in early 2024 when a door plug blew out of a nearly new Alaska Airlines 737 Max during a flight.
