Diana Ferchtgott Ross, a former Department of Transportation official, told The Evening Edit that the Federal Aviation Administration is investigating.
Boeing released its annual safety report on Friday revealing a dramatic increase in employee complaints about safety and product quality, as the aerospace giant prepares to submit the report to regulators as it seeks to ramp up production.
Use of Boeing’s Speak Up tool, which allows employees to report concerns, increased 500% in early 2024 following the Jan. 5 accident, according to the company’s third annual safety report. Boeing 737 Max 9 A door plug panel blew off during the flight, forcing the plane to return to Portland International Airport in Oregon for an emergency landing. Several other accidents involving Boeing planes have also increased public scrutiny of the company.
The news comes as Boeing prepares to unveil a plan aimed at assuring regulators that it has adequately addressed safety concerns in the manufacturing process. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) In February, it ordered Boeing to develop a comprehensive plan to correct quality control problems.
The report is scheduled to be submitted on May 30, and the FAA will use it to decide whether to allow Boeing to increase production of the 737 MAX, including the MAX 9 model.
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The number of Boeing employees reporting safety and quality concerns to the company’s Speak Up portal increased by 500% in early 2024. (Photo: LOGAN CYRUS/AFP via Getty Images)
Boeing has reached out to FOX Business for comment. Outgoing CEO Dave Calhoun “We actively seek employee input, as reflected by their active participation and suggestions during the shutdown following the accident, as well as the many channels available to all employees to express their opinions,” he said at the company’s annual general meeting this month. “Our company also has a strictly prohibited policy of any kind of retaliation.”
The report’s release came a day after FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker warned in an ABC News interview last week that Boeing has a “long road” ahead to address quality control issues and scale up production.
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Boeing is due to submit a report to regulators this week as it seeks to increase production. (Photographer: David Ryder/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)
“What we’ll be able to provide next week is the plan going forward. This is not the end of the process, it’s just the beginning and it’s going to be a long journey back to being able to build safe aircraft,” Whittaker said.
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg In an interview on NBC News’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday, he said the Boeing report and increased employee submissions were “encouraging and concerning.”
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A series of incidents involving Boeing aircraft has increased regulatory scrutiny of the aerospace giant. (David Ryder/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)
“My encouragement is that I want to see a culture at Boeing and across the aviation industry where if you see something, you say something. I want to make sure those reporting mechanisms work. There are whistleblower mechanisms that go directly to the FAA, but any healthy company would have that happening internally as well.”
Asked whether the production suspension would remain after Boeing submits its report, Buttigieg said, “Boeing needs to do more to demonstrate that they’re ready to safely increase production. And again, the goal, of course, is for them to increase production, but only under safe and sound conditions.”
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FOX Business’ Breck Dumas and Daniella Genovese contributed to this report.
