Boeing unveiled plans Thursday to address safety and quality concerns, CBS News reported.
Boeing, at the direction of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), has proposed a comprehensive plan to address long-standing safety and quality issues in its aircraft manufacturing processes. The effort comes after a Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliner operated by Alaska Airlines crashed in January when a fuselage panel ruptured during flight, but no one was injured. according to To CBS News.
Boeing Co. told federal regulators Thursday how it plans to resolve safety and quality problems that have plagued its aircraft manufacturing operations in recent years.
—CBS News (@CBSNews) May 30, 2024
FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker stressed the importance of Boeing’s commitment to transformative action.
“Today we reviewed Boeing’s roadmap for setting new safety standards and highlighted the need for thorough corrective actions and effective safety culture change,” Whitaker said after meeting with senior company executives, CBS News reported.
“The FAA will continue to ensure that they do so and that their fixes are effective. This does not mean the end of our increased oversight of Boeing and its suppliers, but it does set a new standard for how Boeing does business,” he added.
SEATTLE, WA – MARCH 25: An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 taxis at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on March 25, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. The rupture of a mid-air door plug on an Alaska Airlines flight, which subsequently grounded flights, has led to a shakeup in Boeing’s management and CEO David Calhoun’s announcement of his resignation. (Photo by Steven Brasher/Getty Images)
The panel failure on the Alaska Airlines flight was caused by a missing bolt that was supposed to secure the panel to the aircraft frame. The incident further damaged Boeing’s reputation, already tarnished by two fatal crashes of MAX jetliners in 2018 and 2019, and led to both civil and criminal investigations, the media reported. In response to the incidents, the FAA restricted production of Boeing’s best-selling plane, the 737 MAX. Whitaker confirmed that the production restrictions would remain until the FAA was satisfied with Boeing’s progress on the safety measures outlined. (Related: Report: New Boeing whistleblower suicide note revealed)
Over the past three months, the FAA has conducted 30-day and 60-day reviews with Boeing to clarify regulatory expectations and monitor the company’s progress on required measures. According to CBS News, these measures include minimizing “moving operations” (work that is not completed in sequence during the assembly process) and increasing oversight of key supplier Spirit AeroSystems. Boeing’s challenges extend beyond the 737 Max, with issues emerging with the 787 Dreamliner and the company facing setbacks on other major projects, including the Starliner space capsule, military refueling aircraft and new Air Force One jet.
