FAA Lets Boeing Self-certify 737 Max And 787 Planes Again

Since September, the FAA has been doing safety inspections of the finished 737 max and the 787’s coming off the assembly line and then comparing their results with similar tests done by Boeing. Now the FAA has decided that Boeing can return to self-certifying those planes. 

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According to apnews.com,
‘Boeing will be allowed to take responsibility for certifying all of its 737 Max and 787 planes starting next week, the Federal Aviation Administration said Friday. 
The FAA said that after months of review the agency decided that Boeing’s final safety checks on its planes are good enough to ensure they are airworthy. 

Back in 2019, the FAA took full control over certifying the 737max after the second of two crashes which were blamed on a new software system that Boeing had developed for the aircraft. Then, in 2022, the FAA revoked Boeing’s privilege of self-certifying their 787 due to ongoing quality control issues during production. 

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The FAA will still have individuals on site monitoring and inspecting manufacturing and assembly. But their focus will move from final certification and move to looking for defects and problems earlier in the manufacturing process. 

One other restriction that had been placed on Boeing is also being relaxed. The maximum number of planes that can be produced in a month. That maximum limit for production has gradually Increased from 38 planes per month, up to 47 planes per month. 

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FAA Administrator Brian Bedford is quoted as saying,
‘Safety drives everything we do, and this step forward is only possible because we are confident it can be done safely’ 

This is good news for Boeing. Here’s hoping management keeps their eye on the ball.