3-hour meeting ends with FAA saying Boeing can’t increase Max plane production until quality is fixed

Boeing executives presented sweeping changes to the company’s production process and safety systems in a three-hour meeting with the Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday. The plan is meant to reassure the public, airline customers and regulators that the troubled company’s planes are safe to fly.

Boeing executives presented sweeping changes to the company’s production process and safety systems in a three-hour meeting with the Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday. The plan is meant to reassure the public, airline customers and regulators that the troubled company’s planes are safe to fly. “This is a guide for a new way for Boeing to do business,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said after the meeting. He said he expected the company to produce “systemic change.” Going forward, Boeing and FAA leaders said they will meet weekly on progress implementing the plan and the FAA will conduct monthly reviews. The plan includes several components to improve employee training, clarify instructions for assembly line employees, prevent suppliers from shipping defective components to Boeing and go through additional FAA audits, the agency said. The FAA had ordered outgoing Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun and his aides to develop the roadmap after two reviews in February found serious issues at the planemaker. The meeting included Calhoun and other leaders at the company, the FAA said. Whitaker said the meeting included an “extensive PowerPoint presentation that broke the plan into components.”