Boeing Withdraws MAX Safety Exemption Bid

The Seattle Times is reporting Boeing has withdrawn a request to the FAA for an exemption that would allow it to certify the 737 MAX 7 with a known safety deficiency. The company said Monday it will instead fix the issue with overheating engine inlets as part of the certification process and delay the smallest version of the MAX line's service entry. Boeing formally submitted the application for the exemption within days of a door plug detaching from an Alaska Airlines MAX 9 that put the planemaker under intense scrutiny. The exemption request prompted Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., to call on the FAA to reject it.

The entire MAX line has carbon fiber nacelles instead of the heavier aluminum inlets on previous models. After the MAX 8s and MAX 9s entered service, it was discovered that if the de-icing system in the nacelles was left on after the aircraft left icing conditions, the heat could cause the carbon fiber to fail, potentially throwing debris into the engines. As an interim measure, MAX pilots were advised to turn off the system when it wasn't needed, and Boeing wanted to certify the MAX 7 and MAX 10 under the same conditions while it worked on a permanent fix.

Southwest has ordered 307 of the MAX 7s and fixing the nacelles is going to delay delivery by several years. Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun told Duckworth he's cut a deal with Southwest over the delay. Duckworth said fixing the issue properly is the right thing to do. “This was a tough decision on their part, but I’m glad they took it because I think this is good for Boeing’s future and also for America’s flying public,” Duckworth told the Times.