US airlines grounded scores of planes after Boeing disclosed a wiring problem in some of its 737 Max aircraft caused by a “production issue,” the Washington Post reports.
Sixteen airlines worldwide reportedly fly the aircrafts impacted. Southwest Airlines is pulling 30 of its 58 Max plans from service, while American Airlines is grounding 17 of its 41 planes, and United Airlines 16 of its 30. This comes at a time when the airline industry is starting to see a recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, with more people taking to air travel.
“The recommendation is being made to allow for verification that a sufficient ground path exists for a component of the electrical power system,” the company said in a statement.
The issue continues a series of problems with the 737 Max aircraft, which included two deadly crashes overseas that killed 346 people. Boeing said the crashes were partly due to a software update for which pilots were not adequately trained.