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The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) isn’t ready to lift the production cap it set on Boeing’s 737 MAX following the 2024 Alaska Airlines (ALK+0.78%) incident in which a door plug blew out mid-air.
Acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau said “not at this time” when asked by a journalist about upping the cap, Reuters reported.
The FAA limited Boeing’s (BA-0.01%) ability to make more than 38 737 MAX planes a month following the 2024 emergency landing, which raised questions about the company’s production standards, especially after it was revealed that four bolts meant to secure the door plug were missing.
Production of the company’s bestselling airplane have been fluctuating between the teens and low thirties per month in the aftermath of the incident.
Rocheleau’s response comes after Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said last week the company was “pretty confident” it could start making 42 737 MAX planes a month and added that Boeing would like to keep upping its production rate after an initial increase.
More than 170 people were abroad the Jan. 5, 2024 Alaska Airlines flight when shortly after takeoff from Oregon’s Portland International Airport, the door plug fell off. Three people on the flight suffered minor injuries and one passenger had his shirt blown off by the wind. Some passengers’ belongings flew out of the plane and were lost. The plane was able to make a safe and successful emergency landing.
Following the incident, the FAA enhaced its oversight of Boeing, including setting the cap. The aircraft maker also submitted a plan to the FAA explaining how it planned to fix its safety and quality control issues.
The Alaska incident was only the beginning of an annus horribilis that included dangerous rudder components, a strike, delivery delays, a satellite explosion, and problems shuttling astronauts to the International Space Station on a Boeing Starliner.
—Additional reporting by Michael Barclay.