Outgoing FAA Chief Says Boeing’s Safety Turnaround ‘Not a One-Year Project’

Approaching one year since the Alaska Airlines (ALK) incident that saw a door panel detach from a Boeing (BA) plane in midair, outgoing Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) head Mike Whitaker said the plane maker’s safety turnaround plan is “not a one-year project.”

Whitaker wrote in a Thursday blog post that the agency’s “enhanced oversight is here to stay” ahead of his departure from the FAA when U.S. president-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated later this month. Whitaker said the agency is “actively monitoring the results” of Boeing’s efforts to improve its safety measures, including meeting with Boeing executives on a weekly basis.

Boeing Needs a ‘Cultural Shift’ to Focus on Safety

“But this is not a one-year project,” Whitaker wrote. “What’s needed is a fundamental cultural shift at Boeing that’s oriented around safety and quality above profits. That will require sustained effort and commitment from Boeing, and unwavering scrutiny on our part.”

Separately Friday, Boeing outlined its safety plan going forward and some of the milestones it has reached over the last year. The company said its plan focuses on investing in training workers, simplifying the manufacturing process, reducing the number of defects along the supply chain, and promoting a “safety and quality culture.”

The company said it has taken a number of steps like investments in improving its employee safety reporting program, introducing new random quality checks along the manufacturing line, and working to reduce defects in 737 fuselages produced by Spirit AeroSystems as it is in the process of reacquiring the supplier.

Boeing shares were little changed Friday, and lost nearly a third of their value in 2024.