Boeing must develop comprehensive quality plan in 90 days - FAA
By David Shepardson
(Reuters) -Boeing it must develop a comprehensive action plan to address «systemic quality-control issues» within 90 days, the head of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday, in a statement critical of the planemaker following an all-day meeting with CEO Dave Calhoun on Tuesday.
«Boeing (NYSE:BA) must commit to real and profound improvements,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in the statement. „Making foundational change will require a sustained effort from Boeing’s leadership, and we are going to hold them accountable every step of the way, with mutually understood milestones and expectations.“
Boeing has scrambled to explain and strengthen safety procedures after a door panel detached during a Jan. 5 flight on a brand new Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9, forcing pilots to make an emergency landing while passengers were exposed to a gaping hole 16,000 feet above the ground.
Boeing's production has been curbed by regulators and closely scrutinized by lawmakers and customers following the Jan. 5 incident. The company was not immediately available for comment.
Whitaker said Boeing's plan must incorporate forthcoming results of the FAA production-line audit and findings from an expert review panel report released earlier this week.
That report, which had been commissioned in early 2023, was highly critical of the company's safety management processes, saying Boeing suffered from „inadequate and confusing implementation of the components of a positive safety culture.“
Whitaker visited Boeing's Renton, Washington factory, where the 737 MAX line is produced, on February 12.
The Alaska Airlines mishap is Boeing's second major crisis in recent years, after crashes in 2018 and 2019 of MAX
Read more on investing.com
