Boeing Aircraft Incidents Put Spotlight on FAA Diversity Hiring

The FAA recruits people with severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities as part of its employment diversity program.

A Boeing 737 Max aircraft during a display at the Farnborough International Airshow, in Farnborough, Britain, on July 20, 2022. Peter Cziborra/Reuters

Recent incidents involving Boeing have highlighted the growing trend of diversity initiatives in the airline industry with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under scrutiny for its efforts to hire people with mental disabilities.

Earlier this month, a door plug on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 snapped off while flying at 16,000 feet, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing. On Saturday, a Japanese airline’s Boeing 737-800 aircraft returned to its departure airport after a crack was discovered in the cockpit window.