By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Federal Aviation Administration said on Thursday it will strengthen its oversight of Boeing (NYSE as the planemaker prepares to resume production of its 737 MAX planes following a 53-day strike that ended in early this week.
FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker spoke with Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg this week and highlighted the importance of Boeing using its system to manage safety risks as it resumes production, the agency said.
The FAA said it maintained its enhanced presence at Boeing factories during the strike “and will further strengthen and focus our oversight as the company begins its return to work plan.” Boeing has not yet said when it plans to resume production, but workers do not have to return until November 12.
Some 33,000 machinists working on the best-selling 737 MAX, as well as the 767 and 777 wide-body jets, agreed to end a strike that began on September 13.
Boeing had no immediate comment on the matter.
Reuters previously reported that Boeing is expected to resume production of the 737 MAX at a very gradual pace.
Whitaker limited production to 38 737 MAX planes per month in January after a door panel missing four key bolts flew off an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 midair that month, exposing serious safety problems at Boeing. .
The FAA said last month it was opening a new safety review at Boeing. In October, the Transportation Department's Office of Inspector General criticized the FAA's oversight of Boeing.
An FAA audit of Boeing completed in February found 97 incidents of non-compliance, covering “problems in the control of Boeing's manufacturing process, parts handling and storage, and product control.”
Whitaker said in September that safety culture improvements at Boeing could take three to five years to achieve and promised to revamp the FAA's own safety management program. He said in June that the agency had been “too distant” in its oversight of Boeing.
In September, a Senate panel investigating Boeing's culture criticized FAA oversight.
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