The Key Takeaways
- Boeing is working to improve its safety practices, but FAA head Mike Whitaker said Thursday the plan is "not a one-year project."
- Whitaker, who is leaving the FAA later this month, said the agency is still meeting with Boeing weekly to assess the plane maker's progress.
- Boeing also released a separate statement on Friday outlining its safety program and the measures it took over the past year.
Mike Whitaker of the Federal Aviation Administration, which is stepping down after a year following the Alaska Airlines ALK incident in which a Boeing BA plane door panel separated midair from the aircraft maker’s turnaround safety plan. “not a one-year project.”
Whitaker said in a blog posting on Thursday that the agency’s “enhanced oversight is here to stay” Whitaker said the FAA is ready to take on Donald Trump when he takes office as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump later in this month. Whitaker claimed that the FAA was in good hands. “actively monitoring the results” Boeing has been working to improve safety, and executives meet with Boeing every week.
Boeing Needs a 'Cultural Shift' to Focus on Safety
"But this is not a one-year project," Whitaker wrote. "What’s needed is a fundamental cultural shift at Boeing that’s oriented around safety and quality above profits. That will require sustained effort and commitment from Boeing, and unwavering scrutiny on our part."
Boeing also announced its future safety plans and the major milestones that it’s reached in the past year. The company said its plan focuses on investing in training workers, simplifying the manufacturing process, reducing the number of defects along the supply chain, and promoting a "safety and quality culture."
The company has announced that they have taken several steps, such as investing in an employee safety reporting system, introducing random quality inspections along the manufacturing lines, and working towards reducing the defects of the 737 fuselages made by Spirit AeroSystems. This is because the firm intends to re-acquire the supplier.
Boeing’s shares were barely changed on Friday and will lose nearly one-third of their value by 2024.
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