[ti:Without Safety Approval, Boeing Freezes Production of 737 MAX Jet] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]Aerospace company Boeing's announcement [00:03.56]that it is suspending production of the 737 MAX passenger jet [00:10.04]is affecting more than just the business's financial results. [00:16.84]Thousands of employees and hundreds of suppliers are also facing an unclear future [00:24.84]with the production freeze – Boeing's biggest in 20 years. [00:32.84]Boeing builds the 737 MAX in Seattle, Washington. [00:38.64]About 12,000 employees are involved in making the airplane. [00:46.60]The company said it would not lay off employees during the production freeze. [00:54.48]However, the move will affect a supply chain of up to 900 companies [01:01.68]in the U.S. and overseas that make parts for the complex jet. [01:10.32]Boeing's board of directors made the decision Monday after a two-day meeting. [01:18.20]Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) [01:22.60]did not approve the 737's return to service before 2020. [01:31.52]The 737 MAX passenger airplane has been banned from flying since March, [01:38.84]shortly after a second deadly crash involving the aircraft took place near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. [01:49.60]Five months earlier, one of the jets crashed after taking off from Jakarta, Indonesia. [01:58.08]A total of 346 people died in the two incidents. [02:05.92]The crashes caused an international outcry against Boeing [02:11.04]and many questioned the companies' support for safety policies. [02:18.12]Pilots reportedly had expressed concerns about one of the flight control systems on the plane. [02:27.48]It caused the aircraft lose altitude under some conditions. [02:34.56]Boeing has made changes to the airplane's software [02:39.12]and proposed upgrading pilot training. [02:43.52]But the changes are still being studied by flight safety officials. [02:50.84]The Federal Aviation Administration would not comment [02:55.48]on what it described as Boeing's business decision. [03:01.28]It said it would continue to work with safety officials around the world [03:07.44]to study the proposed changes to the 737 MAX. [03:14.80]"Our first priority is safety, and we have set no timeframe [03:21.04]for when the work will be completed," the agency said. [03:27.24]The production freeze signals a deepening of the crisis for Boeing. [03:34.24]U.S. Representative Rick Larsen called the decision "a body blow to its workers and the region's economy." [03:45.72]The lawmaker, however, praised Boeing's promise not to lay off workers. [03:53.96]Before Monday, Boeing had not stopped production of the 737 MAX [04:00.76]during the months-long grounding. [04:04.84]The company said that it had about 400 airplanes in storage waiting to be sent to buyers. [04:15.68]It is estimated that the grounding has cost Boeing about $9 billion so far [04:23.32]and about $1 billion each additional month. [04:29.64]Boeing's production halt also affects suppliers [04:34.92]like Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc, based in Wichita, Kansas. [04:43.04]Fifty-percent of the company's sales are based on the 737 MAX. [04:50.92]Other companies that supply parts to Boeing are Britain's Senior Plc and France's Safran SA. [05:02.84]The French company partners with General Electric to make the planes' engines. [05:10.60]Many suppliers have seen their stock prices suffer as a result of the production halt. [05:19.68]They may have to pull back their own production targets because of reduced demand. [05:28.28]In addition to suppliers, some airlines continue to cancel flights because the 737 MAX cannot fly. [05:41.32]Southwest Airlines has extended cancellations for another five weeks [05:47.96]through April 13 because it is unclear when the plane will return to service. [05:58.08]Richard Aboulafia, an aircraft industry expert with the Teal Group, spoke to the Associated Press. [06:09.24]He said the freeze would probably affect the economy [06:14.04]and could worsen what experts sometimes call the country's trade deficit. [06:22.68]"This is the country's biggest single manufactured export product," Aboulafia noted. [06:32.12]I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM