US FAA chief to raise quality practices with Boeing execs in Washington
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Federal Aviation Administration's top official said on Thursday he will discuss Boeing (NYSE:BA)'s quality control and manufacturing practices at a Washington meeting with company executives, after a panel blew out of a 737 MAX plane in flight in January.
The date of the meeting is not yet available but follows a trip this week by FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker to Boeing in Seattle.
Boeing is under fire from regulators and lawmakers after the Jan. 5 in-flight blowout on an Alaska Air (NYSE:ALK) 737 MAX 9 led to a broader crisis over its manufacturing practices.
The FAA has also prohibited Boeing from increasing its MAX production rate without FAA permission.
The U.S. regulator expects to complete an audit of Boeing’s production quality systems in the next few weeks and receive an independent assessment from a panel tasked last year with reviewing the planemaker's safety culture.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun said in a statement that the planemaker would cooperate fully with the FAA and respects its regulatory oversight.
«This increased scrutiny that comes from us or a regulator or from third parties will make us better,” Calhoun said.
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