Boeing Faces $3.1 Million In US Fines Over Widespread Safety Violations

The Federal Aviation Administration said it would fine Boeing Co. $3.1 million for a series of safety violations that it uncovered over a space of several months between late 2023 and early last year.

The violations included interference with safety officials' independence and "hundreds of quality system violations" at Boeing's factory in Renton, Washington and at Spirit AeroSystems Holding Inc.'s plant in Wichita, Kansas, the FAA said in a statement Friday.

Among the violations listed by the FAA, Boeing presented two unairworthy aircraft to the regulator for airworthiness certificates, and an instance where a Boeing quality inspector was pressured to sign off on an aircraft that didn't meet required standards just so the planemaker could meet its delivery schedule.

The FAA action came after the midair blowout of a door plug from an Alaska Air Group Inc. 737 Max jet in January 2024, a near-catastrophe that plunged Boeing into crisis and prompted the ouster of then-Chief Executive Officer Dave Calhoun. The FAA put a cap on Boeing's production to help get its factories back in order, and the regulator also put more inspectors on the ground.

Boeing said in a statement that it will "continue to work on strengthening our safety culture and improving first-time quality and accountability across our operations." The FAA said Boeing has 30 days to respond to the agency's penalty letters, which lay out the violations and proposed fines.

Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg has been working to improve factory quality and stabilize production at higher rates since taking over the job last year. The company is currently stable at the 38-per-month rate, and Ortberg said on Thursday that the planemaker aims to move to 42 by the end of the year. 

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