((Automated translation by Reuters, please see disclaimer https://bit.ly/rtrsauto))
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The FAA conducted an unprecedented number of unannounced audits at Boeing
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Boeing needs ‘fundamental cultural change’ putting safety and quality above profits – FAA
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FAA praises Boeing for waiting a month after strike to restart 737 production to ensure safety
by David Shepardson
The Federal Aviation Administration’s tougher oversight of Boeing BA.N will continue indefinitely, the agency’s outgoing head said Friday, nearly a year after a door panel he missing four key bolts came loose mid-flight from a new Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9
ALK.N
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-The Jan. 5, 2024, incident prompted FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker to limit production to 38 737 MAX planes per month and temporarily ground 170 planes. The incident highlighted serious safety problems at the U.S. plane maker and contributed to the departure of its then-chief executive, Dave Calhoun.
“We have conducted an unprecedented number of unannounced audits and are conducting monthly check-ins with Boeing executives to monitor progress. Our enhanced oversight is here to stay,” Mr. Whitaker said in a statement released to the occasion of the anniversary of the incident.
In February, Mr. Whitaker ordered Boeing to implement a safety and quality improvement plan and acknowledged that previous oversight “was too passive.” ”
“This is not a one-year project. What is needed is a fundamental cultural change at Boeing, focused on safety and quality before profits,” Whitaker said Friday. . “This will require sustained effort and commitment from Boeing, as well as continued oversight from us
Boeing released an update on its safety and quality efforts Friday, saying it had instituted new random quality audits and significantly reduced defects in 737 fuselage assembly at supplier Spirit AeroSystems SPR.N by increasing inspection points and implementing a customer quality approval process.
Last month, Mr. Whitaker said he planned to leave his five-year term early, on Jan. 20, when President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Mr. Trump’s nominee to head the Department of Transportation, Sean Duffy, told Reuters last month that he wanted to make sure “Boeing’s planes are safe.”
The FAA announced a new audit of Boeing in October. Last month, Mr. Whitaker met with Kelly Ortberg, Boeing’s new chief executive, at , and he plans another meeting this month. Mr. Whitaker praised Boeing for waiting a month to resume production of the 737 following a machinists’ strike.
Boeing agreed in July to plead guilty to fraud following two fatal 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 and to pay a fine of up to $487.2 million and spend $455 million to improve safety practices and compliance during three years of court-supervised probation as part of the agreement. Last month, a judge threw out the deal, criticizing a diversity and inclusion provision.
Boeing shares fell about 32% last year on the site due to successive crises, representing the worst performance among companies in the Dow Jones index .DJI.
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