WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations and Innovation urged the FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker to make sure the FAA requires transparency and accountability as it oversees Boeing's Safety and Quality Plan.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
“Boeing’s safety and quality assurances will be meaningless without appropriate transparency and accountability, and that is what I will be looking for as I receive more details on Boeing’s plan,” said Duckworth. “Bottom line: all passengers deserve to have the confidence that the commercial aircraft they rely on are safe and reliable, and I look forward to continuing to work with our committee to conduct oversight of Boeing for the sake of the flying public.”
Earlier this year, Duckworth called on FAA to reject a petition by Boeing for a safety exemption to allow the 737 MAX 7 to be certified to fly despite having another known safety defect that has not yet been fixed. The Senator subsequently met with Boeing’s CEO David Calhoun and urged him to withdraw the company’s petition, which the company did just days later, crediting Duckworth’s reasoning for the decision.
Duckworth helped author the landmark FAA reauthorization that was signed into law last month to extend FAA’s funding and authorities through Fiscal Year 2028. The reauthorization included several of her provisions to improve consumer safety, expand the aviation workforce and enhance protections for travelers with disabilities. Duckworth noted that while it was a tremendous victory for the flying public, more needs to be done to address the recent issues that have come to light with Boeing since a door plug blew out of an Alaska Airlines flight mid-flight.
More like this:
