Boeing cuts production of troubled 737 MAX by 20 per cent, to focus on fixing software linked to crashes

Boeing is cutting production of its grounded 737 MAX airliner by about 20 per cent this month to focus on fixing flight-control software and getting the planes back in the air.

The company said Friday that starting in mid-April it will cut production of the 737 MAX from 52 to 42 planes per month.

The move is not that surprising – Boeing had already suspended deliveries of the MAX after regulators around the world grounded the jet following deadly crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia.

In each case, preliminary reports say faulty sensor readings erroneously triggered an anti-stall system that pushed the plane’s nose down.

Pilots of each plane struggled in vain to regain control over the automated system. In all, 346 people died in the crashes.