Boeing (BA) has submitted a crucial report to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aimed at enhancing safety measures and preventing any future unsafe planes from leaving its factory floors. The report was mandated by the FAA in response to a midair blowout incident involving an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 jet in January.
The FAA had given Boeing 90 days to submit the report, which outlined proposed overhauls to the aircraft manufacturing and quality control processes. FAA administrator Michael Whitaker, in a press briefing following the receipt of Boeing’s plan, emphasized the agency’s commitment to ensuring the safety and reliability of every airplane produced by Boeing.
The report, submitted as a PowerPoint presentation, requires Boeing and its suppliers to adhere to enhanced FAA oversight, including increased inspections and monitoring. Additionally, Boeing must implement a new safety management system, enhance employee training, and incorporate feedback from aircraft users, including pilots, into its manufacturing and quality control processes.
Despite facing lawsuits, investigations, and a production slowdown, Boeing is working diligently to assure regulators, lawmakers, investors, and the public that its planes are airworthy. The company has already begun implementing some of the proposed changes outlined in the report.
The FAA has not yet set specific metrics for increasing production, and Boeing has not requested an increase to the current production caps. Once finalized with regulators, the plan will take years to implement. Boeing is also under criminal investigation by the Justice Department for its role in the blowout incident, with a decision on potential criminal charges expected by July 7.