On Thursday, during a three-hour meeting with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Boeing officials formally presented a detailed plan to resolve the quality and safety problems plaguing the manufacturer.
Following the door blowout incident on Jan. 5, the FAA intensified its oversight of Boeing, giving the company 90 days to submit a corrective action plan addressing its concerns. The FAA also halted further production of its best-selling jet, the 737 MAX, until the safety issues were resolved.
“Today, we reviewed Boeing’s roadmap to set a new standard of safety and underscored that they must follow through on corrective actions and effectively transform their safety culture,” according to a statement from FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker. “On the FAA’s part, we will make sure they do and that their fixes are effective. This does not mark the end of our increased oversight of Boeing and its suppliers, but it sets a new standard of how Boeing does business.”
Following Thursday’s meeting, Whitaker highlighted key commitments made by Boeing—including enhanced employee training and communication, strengthening the anonymous reporting system to ensure employees can report issues without fear of reprisal, and increasing oversight of suppliers.
Moving forward, the FAA says it will meet weekly with Boeing to discuss the plan’s progression, in addition to conducting monthly reviews.
According to Reuters, Whitaker also said the FAA has no immediate plans to grant Boeing approval to increase production of the 737 MAX and has not yet had any discussions with the manufacturer on the matter.
More details of Boeing’s plan are expected to be released soon.
