Boeing paying $2,000 per month to park each Max jet

While regulators contemplate whether Boeing Co.’s 737 Max can safely return to the skies after two fatal crashes, workers in a California airplane-storage yard keep a careful vigil against earthier concerns. Crews have sealed 34 Southwest Airlines Co. jets against the Mojave Desert’s sun, wind and sand, as well as insects and birds that can creep into wheel wells and engine air inlets. Southwest declined to discuss the expense, but one industry veteran said such sojourns run about $2,000 a month for each plane — a small but critical cost amid Boeing’s many looming financial penalties.