DALLAS — As revealed by Emirates (EK) president Sir Tim Clark, the airline intends to dispatch engineers to oversee Boeing's production lines. This marks the first time EK sends engineers to examine Boeing's manufacturing processes closely.

The decision follows last month's incident involving one of Boeing's 737-9 planes, in which a door plug blew out midflight during Alaska Airlines (AS) Flight 1282. Boeing's quality control came under scrutiny thereafter, with Clark now expressing concerns via the Financial Times about a "progressive decline" in Boeing's performance.

Emirates placed an order in November for 95 wide-body Boeing 777 and 787 jets, with a total value of US$52 billion (€48.3 billion) at list prices. The EK engineers are to oversee the production process of the 777 at Boeing's facilities and that of its supplier, Spirit AeroSystems.

Meanwhile, Boeing announced additional aircraft delivery delays last night, citing the need for further work on approximately 50 undelivered 737 MAX aircraft due to the discovery of misdrilled holes in two aircraft.

Featured image: A6-EQE, Emirates Boeing 777-300ER @KSEA. Photo: Michael Rodeback/Airways

https://airwaysmag.com/boeing-the-faa-and-ensuring-public-safety/