New York (AFP)
Electrical faults in the MAX cockpit, fuselage anomalies on the 787, delays on the 777X: Boeing seems to be accumulating technical concerns in recent months but the bursts of announcements are mainly the consequence, according to several observers, of increased surveillance.
"Boeing, unfortunately for the group, is currently under the magnifying glass, and it is justified", summarizes Ken Herbert, aeronautical specialist for Canaccord Genuity.
After the two close crashes of its new flagship aircraft, the 737 MAX, which killed 346 in 2018 and 2019, the Seattle giant has been the subject of numerous investigations.
His boss Dave Calhoun arrived in January 2020 with the daunting task of restoring confidence in Boeing.
He will have to explain himself on Wednesday, when the group's quarterly results are published, on the latest setbacks.
Boeing announced in mid-July that it had discovered new defects on its long-haul 787 Dreamliner, large enough to reduce production rates and delay deliveries.
The group had already discovered several manufacturing defects last summer, in particular on the connection of a portion of the fuselage.
The US aviation agency, the FAA, also warned Boeing in May that it could require more test flights before certifying the future widebody 777X due to a lack of technical data.
Electrical problems in the cockpits of some 737 MAXs led in April to the temporary immobilization of a hundred units already delivered.
The group has also fallen behind on the two new examples of the presidential aircraft Air Force One, while the KC46 tanker is multiplying the disappointments.
- Corporate culture -
There are many reasons for these problems.
They may have been accentuated by the pandemic, the group and its suppliers facing the same personnel and supply problems as the rest of the economy.
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The decision to move production of the 787 to a single site in South Carolina may also have created disruption.
Another lead, a parliamentary report published last September on the MAX crashes highlighted a change in corporate culture after the merger with McDonnell Douglas in 1997, with more attention paid to financial profits and less to resolution. engineering problems.
This report had especially overwhelmed the "culture of concealment" which prevailed in the manufacturer as well as the lack of supervision of the FAA.
"The investigations showed that the two organizations had failed, one in its role of manufacturer, the other in its role of supervisor", analysis Bertrand Vilmer, boss of the aeronautical consulting firm Icare.
"They are trying to go up the slope, the FAA by being intransigent, and inevitably find shortcomings", he adds.
The same goes for Hassan Shahidi, head of the Air Transport Safety Foundation.
The recommendations issued after the MAX crashes are being implemented, with new risk management systems resulting in "more supervision and transparency," he explains.
- Faulty communication -
Boeing, for its part, says it has "methodically" acted over the past two years to improve safety.
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In the case of the 787, for example, "the decision to slow down the production rate to carry out additional inspections and possibly do some touch-up work was the one to be taken, although it can sometimes affect operations".
The FAA insists on its willingness to cover all aspects of safety.
When, in May, Boeing proposed an algorithm as a method of inspecting the 787s, the FAA requested that deliveries be suspended until they could examine the data behind the proposal.
The agency no longer wants to take the word of the group at face value, it wants to see the data, a source within the FAA told AFP.
For Ken Herbert of Canaccord Genuity, the latest setbacks on the 787 highlight internal communication problems, Dave Calhoun having repeatedly assured that the problem would be quickly resolved.
They come under "the ability to bring up bad news and resolve them in a timely manner," he says.
"It gives the impression that the company is not fully dealing with the situation."
© 2021 AFP