FAA fines Boeing $6.6m for safety and compliance-related issues

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has imposed $6.6m in penalties on aircraft manufacturer Boeing regarding safety and compliance-related issues.

Boeing is fined $5.4m for failing to comply with a 2015 settlement, which requires the company to improve its regulatory compliance processes.

In addition to this, the agency has also penalised the manufacturer with an additional $1.2m to settle two pending FAA enforcement cases.

Out of the two cases, one alleged that Boeing implemented an improper structure of its FAA-approved organization designation authorization (ODA) programme and put pressure or interfered with ODA unit members.

The other case alleged that the company did not follow its quality-control processes and subjected ODA members to undue pressure or interference regarding an aircraft airworthiness inspection.

FAA administrator Steve Dickson said: “Boeing failed to meet all of its obligations under the settlement agreement, and the FAA is holding Boeing accountable by imposing additional penalties.

“I have reiterated to Boeing’s leadership time and again that the company must prioritise safety and regulatory compliance, and that the FAA will always put safety first in all its decisions.”

These penalties came just a day after the FAA issued an emergency airworthiness directive that required US operators to conduct an immediate inspection on certain Boeing 777 aircraft equipped with Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines after United flight UA328 equipped with the same engine type suffered engine failure mid-air.

In a separate development, Australia’s aviation regulator announced plans to lift a nearly two-year ban on flights to and from the country that use Boeing’s 737 MAX.

This decision makes Australia the first country in the Asia-Pacific to use the aircraft model.