According to a report by news agency Reuters, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States took a significant decision on Wednesday (local time) regarding troubled aircraft manufacturer Boeing, barring it from expanding production of its 737 MAX aircraft due to identified "unacceptable" quality concerns.
In a separate notable development, the FAA granted approval for the 737 MAX 9, which had been grounded following a mid-air incident involving Alaska Airlines earlier this month, to resume its flight operations once inspections were satisfactorily completed.
This decision brought relief to US carriers Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, which had been compelled to cancel numerous flights following the grounding of the MAX 9 jets. Plans were in place for these airlines to reintroduce the planes for commercial use on Friday and Sunday (January 28).
However, the FAA's stance on not permitting Boeing to expand the production of its 737 MAX aircraft will have wide-ranging implications for the aviation industry. Boeing had sought to ramp up production to meet the growing demand in the aircraft market.
FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker emphasized, "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." He further reiterated, "The quality assurance issues we have seen are unacceptable."
Providing further details, the FAA clarified to Reuters, "That means Boeing can continue producing at the current monthly rate, but they cannot increase that rate." However, the FAA did not specify a precise timeline for the duration of this restriction on production expansion or specify the exact number of planes Boeing could manufacture each month.
In response, Boeing expressed its commitment to "fully and transparently" cooperate with the FAA and adhere to directives aimed at enhancing the quality and safety of its aircraft.
Moreover, the FAA outlined guidelines for the inspection and maintenance procedures required for the grounded MAX 9 jets to resume service on Friday. "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," Whitaker affirmed.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun had previously stated in October that the company aimed to reach a production rate of 38 MAX 737 aircraft per month by the end of 2023. However, Boeing's master schedule, which dictates the production pace for its suppliers, had outlined plans to increase production to 42 jets per month in February, 47.2 in August, 52.5 by February 2025, and 57.7 in October 2025, as per reports by Reuters.
Meanwhile, United Airlines announced on Wednesday that it had received final approval from the FAA to reintroduce Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft into service by January 28 (Sunday).
