Boeing Bolstering Its Quality Inspections

The company's Commercial Airplane Division is focusing on quality assurance of the 737 production line.

Tuesday, January 16, 2024 at 09:56 AM ET

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Boeing Commercial CEO Stan Deal told employees about the efforts to go above and beyond to improve quality of the 737 series. [Courtesy: NTSB]

Key Takeaways:

Boeing is implementing immediate, self-imposed actions to enhance quality assurance in 737 Max 9 production, beyond FAA mandates, following the Alaska Airlines door plug incident.
These measures include significantly increasing inspections at both Boeing and its supplier Spirit AeroSystems, deploying dedicated teams to supplier facilities, and involving an independent party to review its quality management system.
The company aims to restore trust with regulators and customers by strengthening its quality control, increasing oversight, and recommitting to improving practices across its entire production system.

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In a message to employees, Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO Stan Deal announced “immediate actions” the company is taking to address the concerns about quality in 737 Max 9 production in addition to those mandated by the FAA.

“These actions are separate from the FAA’s investigation and the agency’s plan to increase oversight of 737-9 production,” Deal said. “We will cooperate fully and transparently with both as we work to restore trust with our regulator and our customers. And as the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation proceeds, we will take additional steps to improve our practices as the facts and findings dictate.