The Federal Aviation Administration demanded a recovery plan from the company following an incident in January where a fuselage panel blew out during an Alaska Airlines flight on one of its jets
Boeing is set to present its strategy for addressing the safety and quality issues that have marred its aircraft manufacturing operations in recent years to federal regulators on Thursday.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) demanded a recovery plan from the company following an incident in January where a fuselage panel blew out during an Alaska Airlines flight on one of its jets. No injuries were reported during the mid-flight mishap.
Investigators found that bolts securing the panel to the Boeing 737 Max 9’s frame were missing before the part detached. This incident has further damaged Boeing’s image and led to various civil and criminal investigations. Whistleblowers have alleged that the company compromised passenger safety by cutting corners, an accusation that Boeing denies.
An FAA-convened panel identified deficiencies in the aircraft manufacturer’s safety culture. In late February, FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker gave Boeing a 90-day deadline to devise a plan to enhance quality and alleviate the agency’s safety concerns. Whitaker characterised the plan as the start, not the conclusion, of a process to improve Boeing.
“It’s going to be a long road to get Boeing back to where they need to be, making safe airplanes,” he told ABC News last week. The FAA has restricted Boeing’s production of the 737 Max, its top-selling plane, although industry experts suspect that the company’s output has dipped even below the FAA-imposed limit.
Boeing could be facing criminal prosecution over the fatal crashes of two Max jetliners in 2018 and 2019, following recent issues that may have breached a 2021 settlement designed to prevent prosecution for fraud. The Justice Department highlighted two weeks ago that Boeing had failed to adhere to the agreement terms, accusing the firm of misleading regulators about a flight-control system involved in the accidents.
The majority of Boeing’s recent woes are linked to the Max, but the company, along with its main supplier Spirit AeroSystems, has also encountered manufacturing defects with the larger 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Moreover, Boeing has experienced difficulties with other projects, including the Starliner space capsule, a military refueling tanker, and the new Air Force One presidential jets.
Boeing executives have committed to rebuilding confidence among regulators and air passengers. The aerospace giant has lost ground to competitor Airbus and has been hampered by production delays that have impacted its cash flow.
In response to these challenges, Boeing is taking steps to reduce “traveled work” tasks performed out of sequence during assembly and is intensifying oversight of Spirit AeroSystems.
