Debris found in fuel tanks of stored 737 MAXs

Boeing's troubled 737 Max airplane has picked up another safety concern with debris found in the fuel tanks of a number of new planes, which were in storage ahead of delivery.

However, according to a BBC report on the incident, a Boeing spokesman said the company did not see the issue further delaying airplane being certified to fly by the FAA.

Boeing told the BBC that It had  discovered  "Foreign Object Debris" left inside the wing fuel tanks of several undelivered 737 MAXs.  "While conducting maintenance we discovered Foreign Object Debris (FOD) in undelivered 737 Max airplanes currently in storage. That finding led to a robust internal investigation and immediate corrective actions in our production system." 

Foreign Object Debris is a broad term and it not clear at this stage exactly what substance or items were found in the fuel tanks. A spokesman for the FAA told the BBC that it was looking into how Boeing is dealing with the latest issue to affect the MAX. 

"The FAA is aware that Boeing is conducting a voluntary inspection of undelivered aircraft for Foreign Object Debris (FOD) as part of the company's ongoing efforts to ensure manufacturing quality. "The agency increased its surveillance based on initial inspection reports and will take further action based on the findings," it added. 

Despite this foreign object issue Boeing told the BBC that it didn't expect the issue to cause any fresh delays to the 737 Max's return to service, which the company said could happen by the middle of this year.