Duffy Says Boeing Needs ‘Tough Love’

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Acting Federal Aviation Administrator Chris Rocheleau recently toured Boeing’s production facility in Renton, Washington, on Thursday.

During an interview with Fox News, he said Boeing needed some “tough love” to earn back the American public’s trust.

“Whether it was the airplane crashes from a few years ago or the door plug issue, they’ve lost trust,” he said during the interview. “They have to take a look at how they are manufacturing. They have to look at their quality. They have to get it up to a place where the FAA, the American people and the airlines feel like they’re producing incredibly safe airplanes that you, me, our family and our friends all fly on.”

Duffy added that Boeing’s focus on its quarterly reports and shareholders has caused the business to lose sight of its quality standards. However, he said new leadership at the company is working to bring that quality back.

“I asked the CEO for access, not just to the line [at the Renton Facility] … but to the employees as well,” he said. “I was given that access and got to walk the line from one day to the next as an airplane is manufactured. I was able to talk to employees as they did their jobs. It was heartening to hear how they understand that they need to improve the quality of the work that happens here at Boeing.”

Boeing’s 737 MAX 7 out of the paint shop in Renton (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Chuyi Chuang)

The Federal Aviation Administration established a rule in January 2024 that limits Boeing to producing a maximum of 38 737 MAX aircraft per month.

Easing Restrictions?

When asked what it would take to lift the restrictions on how many aircraft Boeing can produce monthly, Duffy said the company needs to meet its safety plan and ensure the level of aircraft quality requested by the FAA.

Yesterday, @SecDuffy and I visited Boeing’s Renton, Washington, factory as part of our commitment to ensure they are executing its comprehensive safety action plan. I also met and thanked FAA safety inspectors – our boots on the ground to make sure Boeing fixes its quality… pic.twitter.com/k99YUr2eNP

— Chris Rocheleau (@FAA_Chris) March 14, 2025

“Once they do that, we’re going to have to take a risk on them and we’re going to have to increase the number of planes they produce,” he said. “But we’re not there yet at the FAA and DOT, but also Boeing’s not there either. So we’re going to continue to watch and analyze.”

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