WASHINGTON — At a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing Thursday, FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker testified that since a door plug blowout on an Alaska Airlines flight in January, the agency has ramped up its oversight efforts in recent months to ensure Boeing is safely manufacturing its planes.

What You Need To Know

  • FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker testified before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Thursday

  • During his testimony, he described the oversight efforts the agency is conducting on Boeing

  • Boeing’s CEO David Calhoun is slated to be on Capitol Hill next week to testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee

“Our enhanced oversight activities include more direct engagement of company employees, additional inspections at critical points of the production process and ongoing audits of the quality systems and build process,” Whitaker told lawmakers. 

Whitaker said the FAA has added more safety inspectors to “closely scrutinize and monitor production.” The agency also required Boeing to come up with a plan to “fix its quality control and production issues.” That plan was submitted to the FAA late last month.

In a statement,  Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Stephanie Pope said: “We are confident in the plan that we have put forward and are committed to continuously improving. We will work under the FAA’s oversight and uphold our responsibility to the flying public to continue delivering safe, high-quality airplanes.”

But, the Democratic Chairwoman of the Committee, Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington, pressed the administrator on the need for a stronger safety management system.  

“Do you believe the FAA needs an overall SMS system?” Cantwell asked Whitaker. 

“We have an overall system now, but it’s maybe not as fully integrated as it needs to be and we’re looking at that,” Whitaker said. 

“I’m not sure what to make of that answer,” Cantwell replied. 

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, the Ranking member of the Committee, also expressed safety concerns. 

“The FAA must guarantee that not only are they certifying that an aircraft is safely designed, but that the manufacturer is building them to that safe design," he said. "Clearly, that was not always happening at Boeing."

Boeing CEO David Calhoun is slated to be on Capitol Hill next week to testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.