Boeing, the US aircraft maker, has announced a temporary halt in production of its 737 MAX aircraft next month, for the first time in more than twenty years.
It is likely that all flights of this model will continue to be suspended for a long period of next year.
The Boeing Administration has made it clear that it will not lay off any workers during the freeze production of the best-selling plane, although the move could have impacts on its global supply chain and the US economy.
During the past years, Boeing 737 Max was the most requested by international airlines, with about 400 aircraft remaining in the factory warehouses. However, the airline’s flight ban since last March put the company in a major financial crisis.
The airline’s decision issued today, Tuesday, after two days of full meetings of the company’s senior officials in Chicago, against news that the US Federal Aviation Administration may refuse to return to service before 2020.
Sources in the sector said that the stoppage of production would relieve significant financial pressure resulting from the failure to deliver approximately 375 aircraft, but this may cause industrial problems when Boeing tries to return to its previous activity.
Boeing shares closed 4% lower on Monday, falling 1% hours after the news was announced.
Aviation authorities around the world have suspended the plane from flying since last March, after two crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia, which killed 346 people in a period of time not exceeding five months.