The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has given Boeing 90 days to address quality issues and meet safety standards for its new planes. This comes as reports indicate that the Department of Justice is investigating whether a plane door panel blowout in January violated a prior settlement agreement between Boeing and the United States government.
The FAA announced the revised date after a meeting among Whitaker, Boeing CEO David Calhoun, and other senior executives from the firm.
Ultimatum Amid Investigation
In a report by The Guardian, the FAA said on Wednesday, February 28, that the decision was the result of talks with high-ranking officials from Boeing, including CEO Calhoun, which took place at the FAA headquarters in Washington.
According to FAA administrator Mike Whitaker, Boeing must make significant, long-lasting modifications. "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," he added.
The FAA now scrutinizes production lines at Boeing's plant outside Seattle. The company produces aircraft like the 737 Max 9, which had a door-panel blowout in January. As per the investigators, the fasteners that hold the panel in place were missing after the Alaska Airlines plane was repaired at the Boeing plant.
Boeing was able to settle criminal charges after two fatal airline accidents in 2021 owing to a $2.5 billion deferred-prosecution deal. However, the justice department is now investigating if the January door incident violated this deal.
Tragically, 346 lives were lost in two separate incidents involving Boeing 737 Max planes, one in Indonesia and the other in Ethiopia.
