The US aviation authority demanded that Boeing change its safety structure, which has resulted in greater safety inspections and persistent limitations on the company’s production of aircraft.
Executives from Boeing, the US aircraft manufacturer, met with FAA officials for three hours at the tail end of May to discuss the company’s strategy for fixing quality control and safety issues.
A brand-new Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 was recently involved in an incident that put Boeing under intense scrutiny. In January, a panel that seals a cabin door on board the plane burst out during a flight, resulting in an emergency landing and a hole in the plane’s side. The FAA temporarily grounded all flights using that model.
Following the incident, the regulator increased its supervision of Boeing. In February, the business was given 90 days to devise a thorough plan to resolve quality control problems. Additionally, the regulator forbade Boeing from increasing 737 Max production.
The FAA has issued a strong warning to Boeing, requesting that the company enhance its internal audits of its manufacturing system and beef up its safety management procedure, which includes employee safety reporting. The FAA is seeking additional safety inspectors to conduct inspections at key stages of production at Spirit AeroSystems and Boeing sites.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun said Boeing had submitted its strategy to improve safety management to the FAA and that the staff is dedicated to completing the plan.
Boeing is now being investigated by the US Justice Department over whether the January event broke a prior settlement deal after the two 737 Max disasters that occurred in Ethiopia in 2019 and Indonesia in 2018, both of which killed 346 people.
Following the two disasters, the most disastrous period in Boeing’s history began, and the company’s best-selling 737 Max was grounded for over two years by authorities. With 737 Max orders plummeting due to the controversy, Boeing’s fierce European competitor, Airbus, was able to establish a commanding lead in the worldwide aviation industry, a dominance that had been impeded for a time because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Airbus is reportedly having trouble increasing production, which would cause some customers to wait longer for their orders. A representative from Airbus said that the company’s goal is to speed up manufacturing of the A320, its best-seller, but the operational environment is complicated.
