Boeing to temporarily halt 737 Max production in January

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Boeing will temporarily halt production of its troubled 737 Max airliner in January, the manufacturer said.

Production of the jet had continued despite the model being grounded for nine months after two deadly crashes.

More than 300 people died when two 737 Max aircraft crashed in Indonesia and Ethiopia after reported problems with a new feature.

Boeing had been hoping to have the planes back in the air by the end of this year.

But US regulators made it clear that they would not be certified to return to the skies that quickly.

What will Boeing do next?

Boeing is one of the largest US exporters. The company said in a statement that it would not lay off workers associated with the 737 Max, but the stoppage is likely to affect suppliers and the wider economy.

“Safely returning the 737 Max to service is our top priority,” the aircraft manufacturer said.

“We know that the process of approving the 737 Max’s return to service, and of determining appropriate training requirements, must be extraordinarily thorough and robust, to ensure that our regulators, customers, and the flying public have confidence in the 737 Max updates.”

What went wrong with the planes?

Last week a congressional hearing was told that US aviation regulators were aware, following the first crash in Indonesia in October 2018, that there was a risk of further accidents.

The Federal Aviation Authority’s analysis suggested there could be more than a dozen more crashes over the lifetime of the aircraft unless changes were made to its design.