US regulators said Wednesday that they have given Boeing 90 days to come up with a plan addressing quality control issues, after a major safety incident in January.
“Boeing must commit to real and profound improvements,” said Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Mike Whitaker in a statement after meeting top executives of the company.
“We are going to hold them accountable every step of the way,” he added.
Whitaker’s comments come as Boeing faces heightened scrutiny following a January 5 emergency landing that led to a temporary grounding of some Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
A 737 MAX operated by Alaska Airlines had suffered a mid-flight blowout of an air panel on the fuselage, triggering the landing with the plane left with a gaping hole in the cabin.
There were no serious injuries, but safety inspectors said the incident could have been catastrophic.
In a safety discussion at FAA headquarters on Tuesday, Whitaker told top Boeing officials that the aircraft manufacturer needs a “comprehensive action plan” to tackle systemic quality control issues, the administration said.
The plan, to be provided in 90 days, must incorporate the results of FAA’s production-line audit, as well as the latest findings from an expert review panel report.
Boeing said its leaders are “totally committed” to the FAA’s order.
“By virtue of our quality stand-downs, the FAA audit findings and the recent expert review panel report, we have a clear picture of what needs to be done. Transparency prevailed in all of these discussions,” the company said.
“Boeing will develop the comprehensive action plan with measurable criteria that demonstrates the profound change that Administrator Whitaker and the FAA demand.”
The FAA panel report, which was released on Monday, found that Boeing staff were confused and distrustful of changes to safety reporting systems implemented by the aerospace giant after fatal plane crashes in 2018 and 2019.
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