Senate Subcommittee to Scrutinize FAA's Oversight of Boeing

The FAA Administrator will testify before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations regarding Boeing's safety practices. The hearing follows increased scrutiny after a mid-air emergency in January. The planemaker faces additional challenges, including potential worker strikes and production delays.

FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker is set to testify before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations on September 25 regarding the Federal Aviation Administration's oversight of Boeing, according to a committee aide. The subcommittee, chaired by Senator Richard Blumenthal, had previously questioned former Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun on the company's safety record.

The upcoming hearing, titled 'FAA Oversight of Boeing's Broken Safety Culture,' follows a series of stringent measures imposed by Whitaker after a January 5 mid-air emergency involving a new Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9. Whitaker admitted the FAA could have taken more preemptive actions, emphasizing that correcting Boeing's safety culture would be a prolonged effort.

In recent months, Whitaker halted Boeing's production increase of its 737 MAX and demanded a quality improvement plan. Meanwhile, Senate Commerce Committee chair Maria Cantwell has called for a thorough review of the FAA's oversight of Boeing. The continued scrutiny comes as Boeing struggles with production delays, mounting debt, and the possibility of a worker strike as soon as this Friday.

(With inputs from agencies.)