WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Boeing Co (BA.N) said on Thursday that airlines had inspected 810 of the company’s 737 NG jets around the world and found 38 structural cracks requiring repair and replacement of the affected parts.
The planes will be grounded until the repairs are made, Boeing and airline officials said. Nearly 5% of inspections have found cracks in a “pickle fork” - a part that attaches the plane’s fuselage, or body, to the wing structure and manages forces.
The 737 NG is the third-generation 737 and version before the now-grounded 737 MAX, which is not impacted by the cracking issue.
On Wednesday, Southwest Airlines Co (LUV.N) and Brazil’s Gol Linhas Aereas (GOLL4.SA) grounded at least 13 737 NG airplanes after U.S. regulators ordered urgent inspections. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) last week told U.S aircraft operators to inspect 165 older 737 NGs for structural cracks, but it now appears the actual number of planes covered is more than 200.
The FAA said late on Thursday “a small number of aircraft based in the United States have been removed from service while Boeing develops instructions for customers to repair or replace the affected parts.”
The agency added it “is working with the manufacturer and other international aviation safety regulators to better understand the factors that led to the formation of the cracks.”
Southwest spokeswoman Brandy King said of more than 200 high-use airplanes it had found cracks on two planes and grounded them. She declined to say if cracks had been found on any other jets
