FAA boss tells Boeing CEO to back off on 737 MAX schedule predictions
Dec. 12, 2019 at 12:17 pm Updated Dec. 12, 2019 at 12:30 pm
By Dominic Gates
Seattle Times aerospace reporter
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) chief Steve Dickson met with Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg at FAA headquarters in Washington, D.C., Thursday to tell him to pull back on public statements about an imminent return to service for the 737 MAX.
Boeing has repeatedly said it expects FAA clearance for the MAX to fly commercially again by year end. Dickson on Wednesday said publicly that the schedule for approving a return to service had slipped into 2020.
Dickson called for the meeting, also attended by new Boeing Commercial Airplanes boss Stan Deal, in part because Boeing’s public statements seemed designed to press for the FAA to provide clearance soon. An email the FAA sent Thursday to the House and Senate aviation oversight committees makes clear Dickson wants that to stop.
“The Administrator is concerned that Boeing continues to pursue a return-to-service schedule that is not realistic due to delays that have accumulated for a variety of reasons,” the email states. “More concerning, the Administrator wants to directly address the perception that some of Boeing’s public statements have been designed to force FAA into taking quicker action.”
“The Administrator wants to make clear that both FAA and Boeing must take the time to get this process right. Safety is our top priority and the Administrator believes public statements must reflect this priority,” the email states. “The purpose of the meeting is to ensure Boeing is clear on FAA’s expectations.”
“Safety is our top priority and the Administrator believes public statements must reflect this priority,” the FAA email adds.
Though the wording of the email amounts to a public rap on the knuckles for Muilenburg, Boeing issued a bland statement afterwards saying that Muilenburg and Deal had “a productive meeting” with Dickson and his deputy Dan Elwell.
“We committed to addressing all of the FAA’s questions as they assess MAX certification and training requirements,” Boeing said in a statement. “We will work with the FAA to support their requirements and their timeline as we work to safely return the Max to service in 2020.”
That’s the first tacit acknowledgment from the company that indeed the FAA will not be clearing the MAX to fly again this year.
Dominic Gates: 206-464-2963 or
[email protected]; on Twitter: @dominicgates.