Southwest Airlines grounds two Boeing 737 next generation jets

Southwest Airlines has grounded two Boeing jets after it found cracks on the parts that connect the wings to the planes' fuselage on October 9. These planes were also among the group of jets that had to be inspected under an emergency order from the Federal Aviation Administration of USA within seven days. Last week, after similar cracks were found in planes under construction in China, the FAA had instructed the airlines to inspect all Boeing 737s, even the jets that have started making at least 30 thousand flights. 

Read: Boeing To Invest $20M In Virgin Galactic's Space-tourism Venture

Planes in service

Brian Parish, the spokesman at Southwest said on Wednesday that after nearly inspecting two hundred planes, the crews found cracks on two of them. The grounded planes will remain out of service until the required amendments are done. Furthermore, the airlines reported their findings to the FAA officials. A spokesperson from Boeing said that the manufacturer is currently working with southwest airlines to develop repair plans and also provide the parts required for technical assistance. The FAA had ordered nearly 165 US planes to be inspected within seven days. Furthermore, a larger group of more than 1,700 planes with nearly 22,600 flights have to check before they fly for another 1,000 times. These planes are Boeing 737 version called the NG or next generation. Currently, the company is replacing NG with 737 Max. However, the 737 Max versions will also remain grounded worldwide after two crashes reportedly killed 346 people. 

Read: Boeing Sued By Southwest Pilots Union Over Grounding Of Plane

Boeing jets in other airlines

Southwest airlines have more than 700 Boeing 737s along with 34 Max jets which are grounded. American, United, and Delta said that none of their Boeing jets needed inspection within seven days. American and United said that they have nearly 80 planes, while Delta has about 50 that will require to be checked within the next few months. In addendum to that, Alaska Airlines inspected seven planes with more than 30,000-flight mark and other 19 with lesser number of flights, and no cracks were discovered in any of the Boeing jets. 

Read: Boeing And FAA Misjudged Pilot Response To 737 MAX Alert: Report

Read: Ethiopia: Victims' Lawyer Seeks Documents On Boeing 737 MAX Crash

(With AP inputs)