Aviation grounding manufacturing

Aviation

U.S. manufacturing is getting grounded by the aviation sector. New orders for civilian aircraft and parts plunged 38% over the past 12 months, according to a Census Bureau report released Tuesday. It’s a sign of just how badly the safety issues with the Boeing 737 Max have hampered broader U.S. industry. The Census Bureau found that new factory orders fell 0.7% during the year ended in November to $54.6 trillion. Much of the focus on weak manufacturing output has been directed at the tariffs and trade tensions last year between the United States and China. But the latest figures show that the entire decline would have been offset if aircraft production had been more stable. Instead, this often volatile sector slumped by nearly $54.5 billion last year — enough to weigh down all of industry.