Boeing Gets FAA Approval to Increase 737 Max Production

The regulator said the approval followed ‘extensive reviews’ by its safety inspectors of Boeing’s production lines.

Boeing 737 MAX aircraft are assembled at the company’s plant in Renton, Wash., on June 25, 2024. Jennifer Buchanan/Pool via Reuters

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Oct. 17 that it has granted Boeing approval to increase output of its 737 Max airplanes, easing limits imposed after last year’s Alaska Airlines mid-flight incident.

Boeing will now be able to produce up to 42 units of its 737 Max planes per month, up from the prior production cap of 38 planes, which the FAA put in place after a panel blew off an Alaska Airlines-operated 737 Max 9 mid-air last year, according to the regulator.

The FAA stated that the approval followed “extensive reviews” by its safety inspectors of Boeing’s production lines to ensure that the production increase could be carried out safely.

Following that, Boeing said it appreciated the efforts made by its team, suppliers, and the FAA in preparing the aerospace company “to increase production with safety and quality at the forefront.”

The FAA grounded all Boeing 737 Max 9 jets last year after a door plug of an Alaska Airlines-operated aircraft blew off mid-air on Jan. 5, 2024. The flight was en route to Ontario, California, from Portland, Oregon, when the incident occurred, forcing the pilots to turn back and make an emergency landing. No serious injuries were reported following the incident.

The federal regulator then launched an investigation into Boeing’s manufacturing practices and production lines, enhancing its oversight of the plane maker after multiple incidents involving 737 Max planes.

Preliminary findings from the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) investigation revealed that the four bolts securing the door panel were missing when Alaska Airlines received the plane in October 2023. The NTSB stated on June 24 that if just one of the bolts had been in place, the incident likely would not have occurred.

The FAA previously told The Epoch Times that it will not lift the monthly production cap on the 737 Max until it is “confident the company can maintain safety and quality while making more aircraft.”

“The FAA has fundamentally changed how it oversees Boeing since the Alaska Airlines door-plug accident, and we will continue this aggressive oversight to ensure Boeing fixes its systemic production-quality issues,” the regulator said in an emailed statement in June.

“We are actively monitoring Boeing’s performance and meet weekly with the company to review its progress and any challenges it’s facing in implementing necessary changes,” it added.

Last month, the FAA said it had partially restored Boeing’s authority to issue airworthiness certificates for new 737 MAX and 787 airplanes.

That authority had been revoked for individual MAX planes in 2019, following fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia, and for wide-body 787 airplanes in 2022, due to production quality issues.

Reuters and Jacob Burg contributed to this report.