FAA chief says Boeing safety culture reforms could take years

The head of the Federal Aviation Administration told a US House subcommittee on Tuesday that improving the safety culture at Boeing could take three to five years.

“It’s not a six-month program — it’s a three-year to five-year program,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said at a two-hour hearing, adding that he had spoken with Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg and the board of the company’s administration. about the need for safety culture reforms.

He said Boeing has made significant improvements in the short term. “About culture is a long-term project… There is progress, but it’s not where it needs to be.”

Congress is holding two days of hearings on Boeing and the company’s safety recovery efforts, with a Senate committee set to address the issue on Wednesday.

In June, Whitaker said the agency was “too hands off” in its oversight of Boeing before the January air emergency on a new Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 and botched previous audits. Boeing is facing Justice Department and FAA investigations into the Alaska incident.

Boeing has no choice but to make improvements, Whitaker said.

“There has to be a culture change or they’re not going to be able to get back to producing the planes at the level they want,” Whitaker said, adding that the plane maker plans to institute a new training program in safety.

Boeing declined to comment on Whitaker’s remarks. Boeing shares, which have fallen 38% this year, fell 0.3% on Tuesday.

Whitaker, who said the agency has permanently increased the use of in-person inspectors at Boeing, in January barred the planemaker from increasing production of the best-selling 737 MAX until it made quality and safety improvements.

That cap, Whitaker said Tuesday, “really gives us the leverage we need to make sure these changes happen.”

In July, Boeing agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit criminal fraud and pay at least $243.6 million after violating a 2021 Justice Department settlement.

The planemaker also agreed to spend at least $455 million to boost safety and compliance programs overseen by an independent monitor over three years.

US lawmakers have expressed frustration with Boeing after hundreds of people died in fatal crashes of 737 MAX planes in 2018 and 2019.

“We don’t want Airbus to get all the airplanes (sales), but Boeing keeps screwing up,” said spokesman Steve Cohen. “For America’s interests, Boeing must get its act together.”

(Reporting by Shepardson; Editing by David Gregorio and Marguerita Choy)