Boeing 737 MAX jets undergo round-the-clock effort to clear inventory

The future of Boeing’s freshly approved 737 MAX is in the hands of nearly 700 workers toiling behind the gray doors of a three-bay hangar at a desert airport in Washington state. Inside, over an endless 24-hour loop, 737 MAX planes are rolled in for maintenance, and upgrades of software and systems as mandated by the US FAA in this week’s order lifting a flight ban imposed after two crashes, the airport’s director said. In front, workers in bright yellow vests inspect the roughly 240 jets stored in giant grids at Grant County International Airport in Moses Lake - more than half of an inventory worth about $16b, according to investment firm Jefferies. Analysts say clearing the logjam of up to 450 stored jets in total is crucial before Boeing can resume meaningful production of its traditional cash cow - a task complicated by the fact that buyers have in some cases walked away during the grounding. While parked on the tarmac, each jet is fitted with red engine and wheel covers, a windshield screen to block out the sun, and a small generator powering cycles of fresh air and electricity through its systems - the aviation equivalent of life support. “It’s an enormous undertaking,” said the airport’s director, Rich Muller. “But this go-ahead from the FAA has given them a real shot in the arm. It’s really energized everyone.” The work at Moses Lake is a cornerstone of a global logistical and financial strategy under way at Boeing to clear a backlog of more than 800 mothballed 737 MAX jets. About 450 are Boeing property, and a further 387 were in airline service before the FAA’s grounding order in March 2019. Story has more.<br/>