Washington, D.C. — The Federal Aviation Administration has approved inspection criteria for the 171 grounded Boeing 737 Max 9 planes, potentially paving the way for them to return to service. This decision comes as a mixed bag for Boeing’s CEO David Calhoun, who also learned that the company faces yet another safety investigation.
The FAA’s decision follows a stern warning regarding the Boeing 737-9 Max incident earlier this month, in which part of an Alaska Airlines flight blew off mid-air. The agency emphasized that it will not grant any production expansion of the 737 Max lineup while its safety probe of Boeing continues.
Despite the approval for the planes to return to the air, Boeing still faces challenges. The company will have to cooperate fully and transparently with the FAA and work closely with its airline customers to complete the required inspection procedures.
Furthermore, Boeing’s CEO was forced to defend the safety of the company’s planes to travelers during a meeting with Washington lawmakers. This comes as the Senate Commerce Committee announced plans to hold a hearing to investigate Boeing’s safety record.
The National Transportation Safety Board is also conducting its own investigation into the recent incident with the Alaska Airlines flight. This setback is a major blow to Boeing’s efforts to return to profitability, considering the long-term grounding of some jets and the halt in deliveries of others due to repeated quality and safety issues.
Amidst all this, industry experts have expressed serious doubt about Boeing’s ability to emerge unscathed from its ongoing investigations. The company’s production of the 737 Max has still not returned to the rate it had before the fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019, and it is uncertain when it will be able to resume production at a more profitable pace.
It’s clear that Boeing will have to prioritize quality and engineering in order to address the concerns raised by lawmakers, the public, and industry experts. With ongoing investigations and a history of safety issues, the road to recovery for Boeing is uncertain.
