Boeing to reduce 737 model production in wake of crashes

Boeing is set to temporarily cut its production of the 737 airliner as the fall-out of crashes involving the model in Ethiopa and Indonesia continue.

The plane manufacturer released a statement late on Friday announcing that it would be reducing its production of the 737 from 52 planes a month to 42 from mid-April.

Read more: Boeing admits sensor malfunctioned on fatal crashes

It comes after the 737 Max was involved in two separate accidents within the last six months.

As a result, the plane has been grounded and there has been a halt in deliveries on the model, meaning a reduced need for production.

The preliminary findings suggest that the plane’s anti-stall system was at fault in both the Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air crashes.

Both accidents occurred shortly after taking off, claiming 157 and 189 lives respectively.

The evidence uncovered so far has shown that pilots were forced to fight against the anti-stall system, called MCAS, which was causeing the planes to repeatedly nose-dive.

"We now know that the recent Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 accidents were caused by a chain of events, with a common chain link being erroneous activation of the aircraft's MCAS function. We have the responsibility to eliminate this risk, and we know how to do it," chief executive Officer Dennis Muilenburg said in a statement.

He added that the company was making progressing on updating the software and providing new training for the aircraft’s pilots, while also insisting that

Read more: Ethiopia urges Boeing to review controls after fatal crash

"As we continue to work through these steps, we're adjusting the 737-production system temporarily to accommodate the pause in MAX deliveries, allowing us to prioritise additional resources to focus on software certification and returning the MAX to flight," he said.

Muilenburg also claimed that employment levels would be unchanged and that a new committee would be set up to look at processes around airplane design and development to further minimise risk of future issues.