SEATTLE: The US Federal Aviation Administration mentioned on Monday (Jul 27) that seats on tons of of Boeing 737 MAX jets registered within the US have been incorrectly put in and should be fastened.
If not, the seats might injure passengers and crew members throughout an emergency touchdown or block the aisle and gradual an evacuation, the company mentioned.
The FAA’s proposed airworthiness directive issued on Monday would apply to 453 jets registered within the US. The company solely has jurisdiction over US airways, however overseas regulators usually comply with FAA directives if relevant.
The proposed directive comes as Boeing works to enhance its manufacturing high quality and enhance output beneath CEO Kelly Ortberg. Manufacturing high quality issues have been revealed in early 2024 when a door-plug panel blew out of an almost new Alaska Air 737 MAX in flight.
The FAA mentioned within the airworthiness directive proposal that it acquired a report that some passenger seat assemblies weren’t appropriately put in within the seat tracks.
That meant the assemblies might disengage from the seat tracks if there was an elevated load, turbulence or an emergency touchdown, the FAA mentioned.
“This situation, if not addressed, might lead to damage to passengers and crew throughout an emergency touchdown or might block the aisle, which might gradual evacuation,” it added.
There might be as much as 69 track-mounted passenger seat assemblies on every 737 MAX airplane and the problem would take an estimated one work hour to repair every meeting and requires no components to take action, the FAA mentioned.
It didn’t say how rapidly airways would want to right the problem.
A Boeing spokesperson mentioned the planemaker issued steerage to operators concerning the challenge in December 2025.
“We help the FAA making that steerage obligatory,” the spokesperson mentioned in an e-mail.
