 "The final version of the 737 MAX, the MAX 10, takes off from Renton Airport in Renton, Wash., on its first flight Friday, June 18, 2021. File Image- AP")
In the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) latest push for safety improvements after a panel came off a Boeing 737 Max 9 jet in flight in early January, the regulator on Wednesday asked Boeing to submit a “comprehensive action plan” within 90 days to address quality-control concerns.
The agency said that the directive follows meetings with top Boeing officials, including the company’s CEO at FAA headquarters in Washington.
“Boeing must commit to real and profound improvements,” said FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker. “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."
The FAA said the new deadline comes after FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker met with Boeing CEO David Calhoun and other top company officials.
Calhoun said that “we have a clear picture of what needs to be done” because of company and independent reviews. “Boeing will develop the comprehensive action plan with measurable criteria that demonstrates the profound change that Administrator Whitaker and the FAA demand.”
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.
The FAA is currently completing an audit of assembly lines at the factory near Seattle, where Boeing builds planes like the 737 Max that suffered a door-panel blowout in January. Investigators say bolts that help keep the panel in place were missing after repair work on the Alaska Airlines jet at the Boeing factory.
This week, a panel of industry, government and academic experts issued a report that found shortcomings in the safety culture at Boeing, which the company says it has been working to improve. Boeing this month replaced the executive who had overseen the 737 program since early 2021.
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