Boeing reveals ‘potential’ 737 MAX issue

US aircraft manufacturer Boeing said Friday it had recommended that 16 clients flying its 737 MAX models address a “potential electrical issue,” a new setback for its most popular plane. Boeing managed to get the 737 MAX back into the late last year after it was grounded for 20 months following two fatal crashes, and recently announced an order for 100 of the aircraft as the airline sector begins to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

“Boeing has recommended to 16 customers that they address a potential electrical issue in a specific group of 737 MAX airplanes prior to further operations,” the company said Friday in a statement.

The potential problem identified Friday requires “verification that a sufficient ground path exists for a component of the electrical power system,” it said.

Electrical systems must be grounded to avoid overloads that can cause serious failures.

Boeing did not say which airlines were concerned nor did it give the number of aircraft involved. The plane maker did say it was “working closely” with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and would direct clients on how to resolve the issue. The 737 MAX has been a huge hit with airlines, and was Boeing’s bestselling aircraft until it was grounded in March 2019.

Around 450 of the planes have been delivered to date to 49 airlines or aircraft leasing companies.

After the COVID-19 crisis hammered the air transport sector, airlines canceled hundreds of orders however. Boeing currently has more than 400 aircraft waiting to be delivered to clients, and does not expect to eliminate that stock until sometime next year.

The MAX was grounded after 346 people died in two crashes — the 2018 Lion Air disaster in Indonesia and an Ethiopian Airlines crash the following year.