- Constant failures led to additional controls
- The need for crucial changes with focus on safety
Constant failures led to additional controls
On Friday, US aviation giant Boeing announced that it is introducing several new quality control measures to restore confidence after recent incidents.
The company has come under pressure from US regulators after a series of safety-related accidents, including the January 2024 in-flight panel incident on an Alaska Airlines plane that required an emergency landing.
Boeing's new "Safety and Quality Plan" includes extensive training for quality control inspectors and mechanics and new random quality audits when aircraft parts are removed and returned, according to a statement on the company's website.
The company also said that Spirit AeroSystems has "significantly" reduced the number of 737 fuselage defects by "increasing the number of inspection points at assembly sites and implementing a quality validation process" after producing the defective panel.
The need for crucial changes with focus on safety
Boeing's new plan follows an audit by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) at the beginning of last year, which gave the company 90 days to develop a plan to improve its quality control processes significantly.
"We are actively tracking the results and closely monitoring activities at all major Boeing facilities," FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in a blog post on Thursday.
"But this is not a one-year project", added Whitaker, who is due to leave his post later this month.
"We need a fundamental cultural change that focuses on safety and quality, not on profit," he stressed. - This will require sustained effort and commitment from Boeing, and constant scrutiny from us."
2024 was a difficult year for Boeing, including a seven-week strike by 33,000 workers that paralyzed operations at two major plants and slowed aircraft production.
In October, Boeing unveiled plans to cut its global workforce by 10% and shortly afterward reported its biggest quarterly net loss in four years.
Based on ELTA reports
