Acting Administrator Chris Rocheleau also said the agency will continue independently inspecting 737s and 787s.
737 aircraft at Boeing’s Renton facility. (Photo: Shutterstock | Thiago B Trevisan)
The acting head of the FAA has no plans to lift the 38 aircraft per month limit imposed on Boeing’s 737 MAX program following a door plug blowout on an Alaska Airlines flight last year.
Reuters put the question to Acting Administrator Chris Rocheleau on Wednesday after a U.S. House hearing on the FAA’s budget. He replied, “Not at this time.”
Boeing executives have said they are confident they can get 737 MAX production above 38 per month once the ceiling is eventually lifted. CEO Kelly Ortberg said last week that 42 per month is a realistic target.
Rocheleau also said the agency will continue to inspect all 737 MAXs and 787 Dreamliners before issuing airworthiness certificates, a task previously performed by Boeing itself. The planemaker lost the authority to self-certify the two aircraft due to 787 quality issues and the crash of two 737 MAX jets, which killed a combined 346 people.
The FAA has said it will continue independently inspecting the 737 MAX and the 787 until Boeing completes improvements to its manufacturing and quality control processes. The company was close to winning back its control over the 737 MAX certification process until the Alaska incident.
Last week, the FAA extended Boeing’s ability to carry out some delegated functions through the Organization Designation Authorization program. The agency said Boeing has made meaningful strides in improving its independent ODA units, including insulating them from outside pressure. The extension will last three years, rather than the five requested by Boeing.
Receive a daily dose of the airline industry's top stories along with market insights right in your inbox.
The National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday released its final report on a midair door plug blowout on an Alaska…
Envoy Air’s process for taking delivery of a new Embraer aircraft spans several months and involves multiple phases of inspection,…
American Airlines’ AstroJet – a Boeing 737-800 adorned with a unique retro livery – returned to revenue service last week.…
