Washington (AFP)

The aircraft manufacturer Boeing resolved Monday to suspend, from January, the production of its flagship aircraft, the 737 MAX, failing to obtain the approval of the air authorities to make it fly, after two accidents that have 346 dead in a few months.

The American aircraft manufacturer says it has "continuously" evaluated its production plans in the event of prolonged immobilization of the MAX.

"Following this continuous assessment, we have decided to give priority to the delivery of the stored aircraft and to temporarily suspend production of the 737 program from next month," he said in a statement.

At this stage, it does not plan to cut jobs, but this decision risks greatly disturbing its subcontractors.

"We think this decision least disturbs the maintenance of the long-term production system and the health of the supply chain," said Boeing, who is a major contributor to the US economy.

This decision, taken during a meeting on Monday, is motivated by a number of factors, explained the aircraft manufacturer, in particular the uncertainty concerning the timetable and the conditions for bringing the aircraft back into service as well as the global pilot training approvals.

"We will continue to assess our progress towards the return to service (of the MAX) and make decisions about resuming production and delivery accordingly," said Boeing.

- Security -

He recalls that his first priority remains security.

Boeing had indicated in October that it was thinking of suspending or reducing production of the 737 MAX while the copies are piling up at its American factory in Renton, near Seattle.

Although its flagship aircraft has been banned from flying for nine months following two accidents, the American aircraft manufacturer had continued production until then.

After immobilizing the entire fleet, Boeing had decided to reduce production rates from 52 to 42 aircraft per month.

"We continue to work closely with the FAA (regulator, editor's note) and regulators around the world for its safe return to service," a spokesman told AFP on Sunday evening after speculation in the press.

"We will continue to assess production decisions based on the time and conditions of return to service, which will be based on regulatory approvals and may vary by jurisdiction," he added.

No return to service date is for daylight savings time.

And the American regulator, the FAA, which has been severely criticized in the certification process, insists that it will not give its assent before being assured that the corrections made to the device ensure maximum security.

The decision to nail the 737 MAX to the ground was taken by authorities around the world after the crash of a copy of the Ethiopian Airlines company which left 157 dead on March 10.

This tragedy occurred less than five months after the deadly accident of an Indonesian airline 737 MAX, Lion Air, in late October 2018, which killed 189 people in similar conditions.

In both disasters, the MCAS anti-dropout system was implicated.

The action of Boeing lost 4.3% Monday in an official session.

© 2019 AFP