[Church:] Well, Boeing is facing yet another problem as it tries to get its grounded 737 MAX fleet back in the air. The company says some of its 737 planes, including many of the MAX aircraft, may have faulty parts on their wings that could fail prematurely or track.
[Howell:] That part is highlighted here. It's known as the leading-edge slat track. U.S. aviation officials say a plane could be damaged in flight if that part failed. Airlines have been ordered to inspect and repair it within 10 days' time. Now, the 737 MAX was grounded around the world after two deadly crashes in less than five months. Trouble with an automatic safety feature is believed to have played a role in those incidents. Let's now bring in CNN business anchor Richard Quest. Richard following this story for us as well. And Richard, look, so, first of all, for the flying public hear about this. I'm sure there is some concern. Help our viewers to understand this particular part. How critical would you say it is to the plane in flight?
[Richard Quest, Cnn Anchor:] It's import it's not so much for the plane in flight, it's when the plane's taking off and when the plane is landing. Particularly when the plane's landing and you deploy the front slats and they go down a track. It allows the plane to land at low speed. It keeps the air lift up at much lower speed. It's important. I would say it's very important. Is it critical? No. The plane can fly without. Look, the significance here is not that this has happened. Airline the air manufacturers, Boeing, Airbus, Embraer, bombardier now, Air Boeing, they all continually putting out air worthiness directives for different faults, for different parts of aircraft. They're exceptionally complex instruments. However, the importance here, George, is it's Boeing. It's Boeing. It relates to the 737. And Boeing is already fighting a deficit of trust as to what it's told of the traveling public, what it's told its airline customers, and it raises the issue, not so much about slat tracks, these things will always happen, but how much of what Boeing has said can we take at face value? That's the issue here.
[Howell:] All right, Richard, you say it's Boeing. But, Richard, isn't it also the FAA?
[Quest:] Well, not really in this case because the FAA, you know, Boeing has fessed up. Boeing has fessed up and said we've made these parts and there may be, may be a manufacturing defect in it, and it's Boeing's responsibility to report this to the regulator. The regulator, the FAA, which now, of course, is very much on message and on watch, is saying now you need to recall the planes. It's going to be difficult, by the way, because we're not Boeing will manufacture new parts for this and it will be a fairly speedy repair, but it might mean 737s being taken out of service for this at exactly the worst moment. For those airlines that already have 737 MAXs grounded, to have to lose other aircraft, even for a couple of days, could be extremely difficult and could lead to delays and backlogs and those sort of things. This is a bloody nose for Boeing. It goes to the issue of trust. It goes to the issue of how of this relationship between Boeing and the regulator. The slats issue itself is, if you like, a red herring. It's a byproduct.
[Howell:] CNN business anchor Richard Quest giving perspective and context on this. Richard, thank you. We'll keep in touch.
[Church:] And still to come, shock and confusion after Friday's mass shooting in Virginia where many of the gunman's longtime colleagues say there were no signs something like this would happen. We will bring you an update on the investigation.
[Howell:] Plus, we continue to monitor events there in London. The U.S. president due to arrive within the hour. We'll discuss the delicate timing of his first state visit to the United Kingdom.