US aircraft manufacturer, Boeing has been ordered to pay a total of US$6.6 million in penalty fees by the United States aviation regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The financial penalties are in relation to a 2015 settlement agreement, which set out to change internal processes withing Boeing in an effort “to improve and prioritize regulatory compliance.” According to the FAA, US$1.21 million relates to settlement fees in relation to two FAA enforcement cases, one of which concerns initial safety oversight lapses with the Boeing 787 aircraft.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the 2015 safety agreement included the planemaker’s commitment to improving the “certification processes to further enhance the airworthiness” as well as a “continued compliance of all Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) products.” As part of the settlement agreement, Boeing had to pay $12 Million in 2015. Under the terms of the agreement which cannot be appealed, the FAA can now issue Boeing with penalties “for failing to meet its performance obligations.”
In a statement, seen by AeroNewsX, 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.” The FAA Administrator added “I have reiterated to Boeing’s leadership time and again that the company must prioritize safety and regulatory compliance, and that the FAA will always put safety first in all its decisions.”
The FAA also outlined details regarding the two enforcement cases, which are expected to cost Boeing US$1.21 million in settlement fees. The first case alleges that Boeing “implemented an improper structure” regarding its FAA-approved Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) program. According to the FAA, the regulator is of the belief that the aircraft manufacturer “exerted undue pressure or interfered” with company officials who are involved in safety checks at the company. The second FAA enforcement case alleges Boeing “failed to follow its quality-control processes” and subjected staff at the ODA program to “undue pressure or interference in relation to an aircraft airworthiness inspection” of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Along with the fine imposed on Boeing, the aircraft manufacturer is now required to begin in-depth inspections and perform fixes on roughly 88 parked Boeing 787s, which are reported to have multiple structural integrity defects deep within its fuselage. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner programme while being mostly successful, has always been plagued with a myriad of technical setbacks and quality issues.
Some of the more common issues faced so far were flaws associated with the lithium-ion batteries installed on the aircraft early on as well as the current ongoing problems with Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines. More recently, a structural defect associated with the aircraft’s interior fuselage skin was made known to regulatory authorities late last year, prompting airlines to pull some of the affected jets from service. The accumulated issues and flaws which plagued the Boeing 787 programme has resulted in a substantial financial burden on airlines operating the type with some 787s visiting maintenance hangars more frequently than planned.
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