In a recent report by the Wall Street Journal, it has been revealed that Boeing has been grappling with concerns about the manufacturing process of its planes long before the harrowing Alaska Airlines blowout in January. The aerospace giant's reliance on outsourcing key components to suppliers, such as Spirit AeroSystems, has come under scrutiny as various models have encountered issues like misdrilled holes, loose rudder bolts, and door-plug blowouts.

The door-plug blowout, specifically, occurred on a MAX 9 aircraft and was built at a factory that was once owned by Boeing but is now operated by Spirit AeroSystems. Since Boeing relinquished much of the responsibility for its work to Spirit AeroSystems, the factory has been plagued by production problems and quality lapses. Spirit AeroSystems is the sole supplier of fuselages for many Boeing jets, including the Alaska Airlines plane that made the emergency landing.

The relationship between Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems has been fraught with conflicts over costs and quality for years. The grounding of the MAX jets and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic further strained Spirit AeroSystems' finances, leading to significant job cuts. This reduction in workforce, coupled with a lack of experienced mechanics and inspectors, has contributed to production problems and oversight issues.

According to some Spirit employees, production problems are widespread, and internal complaints about quality are often ignored. The pressure to meet fast-paced production targets has led to the delivery of planes with undetected defects, known as escapements. Employees have claimed that raising concerns and pointing out problems is discouraged or even punished, creating an environment where quality concerns may go unnoticed.

Spirit AeroSystems strongly denies these allegations and intends to defend itself against a shareholder lawsuit filed in December 2022, which accuses the company of failing to disclose costly defects. However, former quality auditors and employees, including Joshua Dean, who was fired after reporting misdrilled holes in fuselages, support the claims made against Spirit AeroSystems.

The Boeing-Spirit AeroSystems relationship has faced challenges for over a decade. Boeing's push for lower prices has strained Spirit AeroSystems financially, while Boeing itself has maintained a presence in Spirit AeroSystems' operations to conduct audits. The pressure to meet demanding deadlines has resulted in a rushed production process that compromises quality.

Boeing acknowledges the need for increased oversight of suppliers like Spirit AeroSystems, as defects on both the 787 and 737 models have been traced back to them. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is also concerned about the manufacturing issues and has emphasized the need for improvements.

As investigations into the recent in-flight incident continue, all indications point towards manufacturing problems as the cause. The new FAA chief, Mike Whitaker, has expressed that the current system has not effectively addressed the long-standing manufacturing issues within the aerospace industry.

The spotlight is now on Boeing and its relationship with suppliers like Spirit AeroSystems, as both companies face the challenge of ensuring the highest standards of quality and safety in their aircraft manufacturing processes.