By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Boeing said late on Tuesday it has resumed production of all airplane programs that had been halted by a machinists’ strike in the Pacific Northwest.
The planemaker confirmed last week it restarted production of its best-selling 737 MAX jetliner in early December – about a month after the end of a seven-week strike by 33,000 factory workers – and said it has now resumed wide-body programs in Everett, Washington that were impacted.
Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Stephanie Pope said in a social media post on Tuesday the company had now resumed production across its 737, 767, and 777/777X airplane programs.
“We have taken time to ensure all manufacturing teammates are current on training and certifications, while positioning inventory at the optimal levels for smooth production,” she added.
Last week, Boeing said it delivered just 13 commercial jets in November, less than a quarter of the 56 jetliners it handed over to customers 12 months earlier.
Deliveries were down from 14 in October, when most of the company’s aircraft production was shut down during a seven-week strike by 33,000 factory workers that ended Nov. 5.
The head of the Federal Aviation Administration, Mike Whitaker, told Reuters earlier this month he was pleased Boeing was slowly and safely resuming production. The FAA said it would intensify oversight as Boeing resumed production.
Whitaker capped production at 38 737 MAX planes per month in January after a door panel missing four key bolts flew off an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 in midair that month, exposing serious safety issues at Boeing. He plans another meeting with the planemaker in January to discuss production.
Pope said employees have been using Boeing’s Safety Management System to identify and address potential issues and ensure a safe and orderly restart.
“As we move forward, we will closely track our production health performance indicators and focus on delivering safe, high-quality airplanes on time to our customers,” Pope said.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
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