By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Friday it will significantly increase oversight of Boeing production and manufacturing, conducting a new audit of the Boeing 737-9 MAX production line and its suppliers following an emergency landing Friday.
FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker told CNBC the new MAX 9 had “significant problems” and “we believe there are other manufacturing problems.”
Boeing did not immediately comment.
The announcement of the audit to ensure compliance with approved quality procedures comes a day after the FAA announced a formal investigation into the cabin panel blowout of an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 that led to the agency grounding 171 airplanes Saturday. The FAA said the results of the audit “will determine whether additional audits are necessary.”
The FAA said it would also reexamine its decision to delegate some responsibilities to Boeing and consider moving some functions under independent, third-party entities.
“The grounding of the 737-9 and the multiple production- related issues identified in recent years require us to look at every option to reduce risk,” Whitaker said in a statement.
Whitaker declined to put any timetable on whether the FAA might approve the inspection and maintenance instructions that would allow airlines to begin returning MAX 9 planes to service.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Toby Chopra and Chizu Nomiyama)
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