Key moments in Boeing's difficult history with the 737 MAX

Key moments in Boeing's difficult history with the 737 MAX, illustration photo/ Source: freepik.com

Representatives of Boeing, supplier Spirit AeroSystems and the Federal Aviation Administration are among the witnesses commenting on the near-catastrophic incident, which follows other problems at Boeing since the MAX was introduced more than a decade ago.

2011

August 30: Boeing presents the 737 MAX, its latest version of the top-selling single-aisle jet.

2017

March 8: US regulators with the Federal Aviation Administration certify the 737 MAX 8, which in takes its first commercial flight weeks later.

2018:

October 29: A 737 MAX 8 operated by Lion Air crashes shortly after liftoff, killing all 189 people on board.

2019

March 10: A 737 MAX 8 operated by Ethiopian Airlines crashes about six minutes after liftoff, killing all 157 people on board.

March 11: Chinese regulators are the first to ground the 737 MAX, a move soon followed by other aviation authorities, including the FAA.

March 14: Boeing suspends deliveries of the 737 MAX.

April 4: Boeing acknowledges that flaws with a software program called the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) played a role in the crashes.

December 16: Boeing announces the suspension of 737 MAX production in January.

December 23: Boeing announces the ouster of CEO Dennis Muilenburg, who was criticized for his handling of the crisis.

2020

January 13: David Calhoun, a longtime Boeing board member, takes over as CEO of Boeing.

February 18: Boeing vows to tighten controls after finding potentially dangerous debris in fuel tanks of undelivered 737 MAX aircraft.

May 27: Boeing resumes production at low volumes of the 737 MAX.

September: Boeing says that recently discovered manufacturing problems with the 787 Dreamliner will impact deliveries. Deliveries on the jets end up being slowed or entirely halted for about two years.

November 18: The FAA clears the 737 MAX to resume service.

2021

January 7: Department of Justice (DOJ) announces a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with Boeing in which the planemaker agrees to pay $2.5 billion in fines and restitution, and to upgrade its compliance and quality control efforts. The agreement is designed to expire in three years if Boeing meets the conditions.

January 27: European officials authorize the 737 MAX to resume service. Chinese officials do not clear the jets back into service until January 2023.

June 18: The first ever flight of the 737 MAX 10, the biggest model of the jet. The aircraft, along with the 737 MAX 7 -- the smallest version in the family -- have yet to be certified.

2022

April 27: Boeing pushes back the timeframe for its giant 777X, which was originally meant to go into service in 2020. The current plan is for the jet to enter service in 2025.

2023

April 14: Boeing operations are hit after supplier Spirit AeroSystems notifies that it identified "a non-standard manufacturing process" on two fittings on the fuselage of four 737 models.

December 22: China accepts its first new Boeing jet since 2019, a 787 Dreamliner. Deliveries of the 737 MAX resume in January.

December 28: Boeing urges airlines to undertake inspections after an international operator discovered a bolt with a missing nut while performing routine maintenance.

2024:

January 5: A 737 MAX 9 operated by Alaska Airlines makes an emergency landing after a fuselage panel blows out mid-flight, plunging Boeing back into crisis mode.

February 26: An audit released by an FAA advisory panel offers 53 recommendations to improve Boeing's safety culture, characterizing staff as confused and distrustful of changes.

February 28: An FAA audit gives Boeing 90 days to devise a plan to significantly upgrade its quality control processes.

March 25: Boeing announces that Calhoun will step down at the end of 2024 as the company embarks on a CEO search. The aviation giant also replaces its head of commercial planes, as well as its chairman of the board.

April 17: A Senate panel hears from a Boeing whistleblower and other critics who accuse the company of punishing or sidelining criticism and downplaying problems.

May 14: The DOJ concludes that Boeing flouted its obligations under the 2021 DPA, opening up the company to possible prosecution.

May 30: Boeing submits a comprehensive plan to the FAA for upgrading safety.

July 7: Boeing and the DOJ announce an agreement that includes a guilty plea by the company to a fraud charge connected to the MAX certification.

July 31: Boeing announces that former Rockwell Collins head Robert "Kelly" Ortberg will become the CEO to begin August 8.

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