FAA Anticipates Permanent Inspector Deployment at Boeing, Spirit AeroSystems

Administrator updates lawmakers on the Alaska Airlines incident and receives grilling over pilot retirement legislation.

John Gallagher

Wednesday, February 07, 2024 at 03:30 PM ET

Verified

In addition to deploying inspectors at both Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems, the FAA will not grant a production expansion for the 737 Max. [Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

The FAA plans to indefinitely deploy inspectors at both Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems to oversee production and quality control, following recent safety incidents.
FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker stated that Boeing's 737 Max production expansion will not be approved until all identified quality control issues are resolved.
The FAA maintains a neutral stance on raising the mandatory pilot retirement age but emphasizes the need for supporting data and consideration of international compliance before any change.

See a mistake? Contact us.

FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker anticipates an indefinite deployment of inspectors at both Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems following its current six-week audit of the companies’ production and quality control measures.

“I think we’re also going to look at a culture survey that’s due at the end of the month and make a determination of how many folks we need on the ground in both places,” Whitaker told lawmakers on Tuesday during testimony before the House Transportation & Infrastructures’ aviation subcommittee.