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FAA lets Boeing increase 737 Max production almost two years after near-catastrophic accident
Boeing 737 Max aircraft are assembled at the company’s plant in Renton, Washington, U.S. June 25, 2024.
Jennifer Buchanan | Via Reuters
Boeing has won regulator approval to ramp up production of its best-selling 737 Max jetliners to 42 a month, a milestone for the manufacturer nearly two years after the Federal Aviation Administration capped its output after a midair near-catastrophe.
In January 2024, the FAA restricted Boeing to building the planes at a rate of no more than 38 a month — though it had been below that level at the time — after a door plug from a nearly new 737 Max 9 blew off from an Alaska Airlines flight as it climbed out of Portland, Oregon.
Boeing failed to reinstall key bolts on the door plug before it left the factory, a National Transportation Safety Board report found. The 737 Max returned and landed safely, but it put the company back into crisis mode just as leaders were expecting a turnaround year.
The FAA said Friday that it would still oversee Boeing’s production. “FAA safety inspectors conducted extensive reviews of Boeing’s production lines to ensure that this small production rate increase will be done safely,” the agency said in a statement.
Boeing said it would work with its suppliers to increase production.
“We appreciate the work by our team, our suppliers and the FAA to ensure we are prepared to increase production with safety and quality at the forefront,” Boeing said Friday in a statement.
An increase in output is key to the company’s turnaround after years of problems, since airlines and other customers pay for the bulk of an aircraft when they receive it. CEO Kelly Ortberg, named last year to stabilize the top U.S. manufacturer, said last month he expected to soon win FAA approval to raise output to 42, with other increases planned for down the line.
“We’ll go from 42 and then we’ll go up another five, and we’ll go up another five,” Ortberg told a Morgan Stanley investor conference in September. “We’ll get to where that inventory is more balanced with the supply chain, probably around the 47 a month production rate.”
The change shows the FAA’s softening tone and increased confidence in Boeing after years of restrictions. Last month, the agency said it would allow Boeing to again sign off on some of its aircraft itself before they’re handed over to customers, instead of that responsibility falling solely with the FAA.
The Max program was crippled following two crashes of the planes in 2018 and 2019, which killed all 346 people on the two flights. The aircraft was grounded for nearly two years. Covid also hurt production, followed by supply chain problems and, last year, a labor strike at Boeing’s main factories in the Seattle area.
Boeing hasn’t posted an annual profit since 2018. But it has increased output, and its deliveries of new planes are on track to hit the highest rate since that year.
Boeing is scheduled to release quarterly results on Oct. 29.
— CNBC’s Phil LeBeau and Meghan Reeder contributed to this report.
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At around 8.25 am, the benchmark US oil contract, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) climbed 4.06% to US$96.73 per barrel.
International oil benchmark Brent North Sea crude rose 3.62% to US$105.63. Both eased back in the following minutes.
Oil prices have soared since Israel and the US attacked Iran on Feb 28, and they have kept inching up due to the uncertainty over whether war will resume.
As the clock ticked for a return to the war that has engulfed the region, US President Donald Trump had said Tuesday he would maintain the truce to allow more time for Pakistani-brokered peace talks.
Iran said it welcomed the efforts by Pakistan but made no other comment on Trump’s announcement.
Wall Street stocks gained ground following President Trump’s unilateral ceasefire extension in the Iran war.
All three major US stock indexes advanced, with tech shares helping to put the Nasdaq out front, while gold advanced and the dollar edged higher.
The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq reached record closing highs.
“Despite the energy shock and headlines that have inundated investors, the macroeconomy, corporate fundamentals, and consumer spending remain strong,” said Bill Merz, head of capital markets research at US Bank Wealth Management in Minneapolis.
“Investors are taking the stance that the Strait of Hormuz will open before too much damage is inflicted on the global economy.”
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized two vessels for maritime violations just hours after Trump agreed to extend the ceasefire until negotiations are concluded.
About a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies normally pass through the strait.
US stocks, initially battered by the war, have since made a full recovery, with the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq having reached all-time closing highs in recent sessions.
But geopolitical uncertainty lingers, and a prolonged period of elevated oil prices remains a threat.
About two-thirds of the S&P 500 companies that have reported quarterly earnings since the beginning of April have voiced concerns about energy prices in their analyst conference calls, according to a Reuters review of transcripts.
“Anytime there’s a global event like the conflict in the Middle East, and it grabs so many headlines and captures attention, it will crop up in earnings commentary,” Merz added. “But we’re not seeing it significantly impact behaviour yet.”
First-quarter earnings season is well underway amid lofty expectations. Analysts currently estimate year-on-year S&P 500 earnings growth of 14.4% for the January-March period, according to the most recent LSEG data.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 341.27 points, or 0.69%, to 49,490.52, the S&P 500 +gained 73.90 points, or 1.05%, to 7,137.91, and the Nasdaq Composite was up 397.60 points, or 1.64%, to 24,657.57.
European shares ended lower for the third straight session as the Middle East strife continued to weigh on markets and investors assessed a raft of corporate earnings.
Dozens of international firms have withdrawn guidance or signalled price hikes since the war began.
MSCI’s gauge of stocks across the globe rose 4.52 points, or 0.42%, to 1,070.98.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index fell 0.35%, while Europe’s broad FTSEurofirst 300 index fell 8.58 points, or 0.35%.
Emerging market stocks fell 9.41 points, or 0.58%, to 1,606.07. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan closed lower by 0.6%, to 822.27, while Japan’s Nikkei .N225 rose 236.69 points, or 0.40%, to 59,585.86.
The dollar rose amid lingering geopolitical worries.
The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies including the yen and the euro, rose 0.26% to 98.63, with the euro down 0.32% at $1.1704.
Against the Japanese yen, the dollar strengthened 0.12% to 159.56.
In cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin gained 4.13% to $78,866.74. Ethereum rose 3.48% to $2,398.37.
US Treasury yields increased, rangebound amid choppy trading.
The yield on benchmark US 10-year notes rose 1.2 basis points to 4.304%, from 4.292% late on Tuesday.
The 30-year bond yield rose 1.1 basis points to 4.9091% from 4.898% late on Tuesday.
The 2-year note yield, which typically moves in step with interest rate expectations for the Federal Reserve, rose 2.1 basis points to 3.8%, from 3.779% late on Tuesday.
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