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. It said the FAA-mandated checks stem from similar inspections for older generation 737NG jets in 2021.
The directive "mandates the inspections, as it did for the 737 Next Generation", a Boeing representative told The National, adding that the plane maker supports both orders.
"This issue has not been observed on the 737 Max fleet, but Boeing extended the inspections to 737 Max airplanes as the model shares a similar design and build process," the representative said.
Boeing said it had already conducted engineering analysis to identify the root cause of the issue. It is working through engineering changes that would prevent such cracking, it added.
"Inspections provide multiple opportunities to identify and correct possible cracking before cracks exceed critical length," the company said.
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.
In the UAE, flydubai is the primary airline that flies Boeing 737 Max aircraft. It operates a large single-aisle fleet featuring dozens of Boeing 737 Max 8 planes, with commitments for even more.
Boeing did not respond to questions about whether aircraft at Middle East airlines were affected by the inspection directive.
Flydubai signed a $13 billion initial agreement for 75 Boeing 737 Max aircraft in November during the Dubai Airshow. The signing also included options for 75 more planes, the airline said at the time. It will use the aircraft for fleet growth and to replace older jets, it added.
The latest FAA 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.
