TOM KRISHER
AP Business Writer
Boeing is suspending production of the 737 Max as hopes of getting its marquee aircraft back in the air quickly fade.
The ramifications are likely to ripple beyond the factory floor of Boeing's plant in Renton, Washington, across both the aviation and manufacturing sectors. It could ultimately alter the country's trade balance.
Southwest Airlines, which had been relying on the Boeing aircraft to update its fleet, pushed back any hope of re-inserting the Max into its lineup by five weeks, to April. American Airlines did the same last week.
Southwest said Tuesday that it is trying to minimize travel disruptions and apologized to customers for any impact they might suffer.
Shares of major manufacturers that supply Boeing with critical elements of the 737
