...
By Hugh Cameron
Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
A senator is seeking more answers from Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun, as she prepares new legislation aimed at improving oversight in the aviation industry.
Maria Cantwell told Reuters that she had invited Calhoun to appear before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, which she has chaired since February 2021.
Calhoun previously testified before the Senate Subcommittee on Investigations in mid-June, where he was grilled on what the committee called "Boeing's broken safety culture."
Read More on News
The Democratic Senator for Washington said that Calhoun's next appearance will be necessary for a new piece of legislation, aimed at improving the Federal Aviation Administration's oversight mechanisms, and requiring the regulator to adopt safety management systems across its operations.
...
Safety management systems are comprehensive approaches to managing and mitigating safety risks, mandatory for U.S. airlines since 2018.
Boeing began voluntarily implementing an official safety management system in 2019, though an expert panel convened by the FAA found that their SMS framework was confusing for employees and did not ensure company-wide safety standards were upheld.
Cantwell previously spearheaded the "Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act," which was overwhelmingly approved by the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate in May.
As well as strengthening passenger and airline worker protections, the bill authorized $105 billion in funding for the FAA, required the regulator to train more air traffic controllers, and imposed a new set of safety compliance mechanisms across the aviation industry.
Newsweek has contacted Cantwell's office by email to ask about her invitation to Calhoun, and to provide further details on the new legislation.
Cantwell said that Calhoun's appearance may be delayed until after the National Transportation Safety Board holds a hearing on August 6 and August 7, concerning its investigation into the door plug which blew off an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 mid-flight in January.
Calhoun, who has served as Boeing's CEO since 2020, announced that he would be departing at the end of the year, as the company dealt with the fallout from the January incident.
...
Cantwell's new legislation comes on the back of this event, the flood of safety criticisms that have since been mounted against the company, and a perceived mishandling of the aerospace giant by aviation regulators.
"Our job here is why did the FAA drop the ball?" Cantwell said. "What is it that we have to do to ensure that the FAA does its job?"
FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker has previously admitted that the regulator had been too "hands off" in its treatment of Boeing.
Last Sunday, the company agreed to plead guilty to defrauding FAA officials, having misled the regulator into approving the 737 MAX aircraft that was involved in the 2018 and 2019 crashes which killed 346.
Do you have a story we should be covering? Do you have any questions about this article? ContactLiveNews@newsweek.com.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines