Boeing Steps Up Quality Control, Invites Airlines Into Factories

The Seattle Times says Boeing says is beefing up its quality control efforts and allowing inspectors from airlines into its factories to examine its future aircraft in production. The moves come 10 days after a door plug separated from a 737 MAX 9 over Oregon and a week after the FAA grounded the fleet in a series of pointed announcements criticizing Boeing and saying it would not let the quality control issues continue. In a memo to all employees, Boeing VP for commercial airplanes Stan Deal said the blown-out door plug and the discovery of missing and loose bolts on other aircraft "make clear that we are not where we need to be."

Meanwhile, Alaska Airlines had already determined that where it needs to be is on the shop floor where aircraft on order are being built and that it do its own review of Boeing's quality control systems. It announced last Friday that it intended to do just that, and Boeing's Monday announcement seemed to be in response to that. Boeing said it will also allow Alaska and other airlines to inspect work done by Spirit Aerosystems in Wichita where the MAX fuselages are built. FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker also piled on, saying the agency might hire third-party inspectors from a "technical nonprofit organization" to work in Boeing factories and report back.