Boeing Drops Request For Safety Exemption For 737 Max 7 Aircraft

(RTTNews) - Boeing (BA) has withdrawn its request for a time-limited exemption (TLE) regarding the current engine inlet de-icing system, which would have allowed the 737 Max 7 to be certified with a known noncompliance under current regulatory standards.

Last year, Boeing requested federal regulators to permit the delivery of its 737-7 aircraft to customers despite not meeting a safety standard that would prevent part of the engine housing from overheating and breaking off midflight.

Boeing had discovered that operating the aircraft's engine anti-ice (EAI) system in certain conditions could cause the composite inlets to overheat, posing a risk of breaking apart under operational loads. As a result, the FAA ordered a temporary operational work-around for in-service 737 MAXs.

The decision to withdraw the exemption request comes in the wake of the Jan. 5 Alaska Airlines flight 1282 incident, where a manufacturing flaw involving loose or missing bolts led to the loss of an emergency exit door plug during climb. Following this incident and the subsequent grounding of nearly 200 planes, Boeing's commitment to safety has been under scrutiny.

In response to criticism from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth and others, Boeing announced that it would withdraw its petition seeking permission from the FAA to bypass safety standards and expedite the deployment of aircraft with a known safety defect. This incident, along with ongoing production quality issues, has led to intense public scrutiny of both Boeing and the FAA.

Boeing is expected to provide more details about the 737-7 and its new certification timeline during its Jan. 31 annual earnings presentation for 2023. Before the recent decisions, certification of the 737-7 was anticipated to occur at the beginning of 2024. But now, the decision is likely to delay FAA certification of the smallest MAX variant until at least 2025.