The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Thursday said 106 Boeing 737 MAX airplanes have been grounded worldwide by an electrical issue and said the U.S. planemaker is still working on a fix.

Boeing disclosed an electrical power system issue on April 7 and recommended operators temporarily remove these airplanes from service.

The problem involved the electrical grounding – or connections designed to maintain safety in the event of a surge of voltage – inside a backup power control system. The FAA said Thursday “subsequent analysis and testing showed the issue could involve additional systems.”

The FAA said in a formal notice to international air regulators that 106 airplanes are covered, including 71 registered in the United States. “All of these airplanes remain on the ground while Boeing continues to develop a proposed fix,” the agency added.

Reuters
Photo Rob Vogelaar