The FAA’s newsroom has issued a statement entitled “FAA Halts Boeing MAX Production Expansion to Improve Quality Control.”
Adding another humiliating blow to Boeing’s reputation, the 24JAN document states, “The FAA today informed Boeing it will not grant any production expansion of the MAX, including the 737-9 MAX. This action comes on top of the FAA’s investigation and ramped up oversight of Boeing and its suppliers.”
An article in Simple Flying reports on the FAA’s decision:
- FAA announces additional actions: FAA prohibits MAX production expansion and approves thorough inspection and maintenance processes to ensure safety.
- Boeing faces sheer humiliation: Trust in Boeing is shattered, and recovery will take years. FAA increases oversight and demands accountability.
- FAA takes steps to prevent repetition: Enhanced inspection process, increased oversight of production and manufacturing, analysis of safety-focused reforms.
Adding that “Civil aviation authorities and regulators are generally restrained and moderate with their words, but Wednesday's (25JAN) statement from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) left nothing out, telling Boeing and the world that it "won't be back to business as usual for Boeing anytime soon.”
Simple Flying calls it more than a rap on the knuckles, but a humiliation it will take the aerospace company years to recover from - if at all.
The FAA’s Administrator, Mike Whitaker, stated that after strict inspection and maintenance guidelines are implemented, existing Boeing MAX 9 aircraft will be cleared for take-off.
“We grounded the Boeing 737-9 MAX within hours of the incident over Portland and made clear this aircraft would not go back into service until it was safe. The exhaustive, enhanced review our team completed after several weeks of information gathering gives me and the FAA confidence to proceed to the inspection and maintenance phase.
However, let me be clear: This won’t be back to business as usual for Boeing. We will not agree to any request from Boeing for an expansion in production or approve additional production lines for the 737 MAX until we are satisfied that the quality control issues uncovered during this process are resolved.”
For some of us old folks at Open Jaw, it’s time to bring back the 747.
