FAA Gives Boeing 90 Days To Develop New Plan For Better Aircraft Safety

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JANUARY 6: An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 plane sits at a gate at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on January 6, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. Alaska Airlines grounded its 737 MAX 9 planes after part of a fuselage blew off during a flight from Portland Oregon to Ontario, California. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) — An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 plane sits at a gate at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on January 6, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. Alaska Airlines grounded its 737 MAX 9 planes after part of a fuselage blew off during a flight from Portland Oregon to Ontario, California. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)

OAN’s James Meyers
10:14 AM –Thursday, February 29, 2024

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is giving Boeing 90 days to come up with a plan to meet new safety standards for building planes after a panel blew off a brand-new Boeing 737 Max jetliner last month, in addition to a string of other reports regarding faulty Boeing planes.

The announcement came on Wednesday after the agency said that the order followed all-day meetings on Tuesday with top Boeing officials at FAA headquarters in Washington.

“Boeing must commit to real and profound improvements,” said FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker. “Making foundational change will require a sustained effort from Boeing’s leadership, and we are going to hold them accountable every step of the way.”

Additionally, Boeing CEO David Calhoun said that they will make the necessary changes to meet the requirements. “We have a clear picture of what needs to be done” because of company and independent reviews. “Boeing will develop the comprehensive action plan with measurable criteria that demonstrates the profound change that Administrator Whitaker and the FAA demand.”

However, the FAA did not suggest what action would take place if Boeing did not meet its 90-day deadline.

Meanwhile, the FAA is completing audit assembly lines a t the Boeing factory near Seattle, Washington, where Boeing builds model planes like the media-reported Alaska Airlines 737 Max, which suffered a door-panel blowout on January 5^th.

Boeing has witnessed other incidents as well, such as the two crashes of Boeing 737 Max jets in 2018 and 2019, which killed 346 people.

According to the FAA, Whitaker took a tour of the 737 factory two weeks ago. He reportedly discussed a number of topics with FAA inspectors who are currently reviewing Boeing’s operations, and he spoke with multiple Boeing engineers and mechanics about their day-to-day operations.

Due to the recent failures, Boeing replaced a top executive who oversaw the 737 program since 2021. The company additionally said that they would ramping up inspections at the 737 plants.

The FAA took decisive action to ground Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes in early January, and has launched a robust response to get the bottom of Boeing's quality control issues.

We can never take our nation's aviation safety record for granted. pic.twitter.com/MuHb4tfvDK
— U.S. Department of Transportation (@USDOT) February 20, 2024