By David Shepardson
CHICAGO (Reuters) – The head of the Federal Aviation Administration is working to streamline aircraft certification and strengthen oversight of Boeing (NYSE:) in the wake of an in-flight emergency in January.
FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in an interview that the agency is also restructuring the way it approaches its broader aviation oversight after a door panel missing four key bolts flew off an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 in January.
Whitaker said he is reviewing the aircraft certification process.
“We’re reviewing that to make sure we’re getting the right things and that we have the right tools to understand it, and maybe it will be more effective to inject ourselves earlier in the process to understand what happens,” Whitaker said. the FAA is working to use “better technology” to help streamline the process.
At one point, Boeing hoped to get the MAX 7 certified in 2022, but faced a series of problems. Boeing in January withdrew its request for a safety waiver to address an engine de-icing problem. Whitaker told Reuters he believed Boeing would submit a proposal for a de-icing solution as soon as this month.
Boeing declined to comment.
The MAX 7 must be certified before the FAA can certify the larger MAX 10. Delays have prompted airlines to postpone delivery schedules. Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci told Reuters in September that he does not expect to receive the 737 MAX 10s until at least mid-2026.
The FAA has dramatically increased its oversight of Boeing, moving from “too hands off” to more in-person inspections in what Whitaker calls a “permanent change.”
“I think we have increased the level of oversight,” he said. “The inspection points should be focused on the most important parts of that production process.”
Whitaker has revamped an agency oversight committee to meet more frequently and involve more senior officials. The FAA is “continually reviewing our oversight models” for Boeing, airlines, air traffic controllers and others — a new approach that “should give us a more flexible oversight approach and prevent what has happened in the past.”
