FAA says agency inspectors will certify new 787s instead of Boeing employees

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told Boeing on Tuesday that it would maintain authority in approving Boeing 787 aircrafts. 

“This will allow the agency to confirm the effectiveness of measures Boeing has undertaken to improve the 787 manufacturing process,” the FAA said in a statement to The Hill.

The FAA said it would retain that power until Boeing could “consistently produce 787s that meet FAA design standards,” show that the company’s deliveries were “stable,” and provide “a robust plan for the re-work that it must perform on a large volume of new 787s in storage.” 

“We respect the FAA’s role as our regulator and we will continue to work transparently through their detailed and rigorous processes,” a spokesperson for Boeing said in a statement to The Hill.

“Safety is the top priority for everyone in our industry. To that end, we will continue to engage with the FAA to ensure we meet their expectations and all applicable requirements,” the company added.

Boeing has been unable to deliver new Dreamliner planes since May as a result of production flaws, according to The Associated Press.

The FAA once relied on Boeing to certify the planes as safe to fly; however, that agreement garnered criticism after two fatal crashes involving Boeing 737 Max planes. In those crashes, the FAA knew very little about a key flight control feature that contributed to the accidents, the AP added. 

The 787 aircrafts, however, are larger than the 737 and have seen a variety of production flaws prompting deliveries to stop first in late 2020 and again in May 2021, according to the wire service.