The findings, part of a six-week audit by the FAA, singled out both Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems in the wake of January's in-flight door plug blowout on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 jet.
Boeing has 90 days to come up with a plan to fix quality control issues, the FAA said Wednesday. Critics say those problems go far beyond the door plug that blew off a 737 Max in midair last month.
While the Federal Aviation Administration says the grounded 737 Max 9 aircraft can resume flying after inspections, the agency imposed sweeping jet production restrictions at Boeing factories.
The Federal Aviation Administration is recommending that airlines visually inspect the door plugs of Boeing 737-900ER jets after some airlines reported unspecified issues with the bolts.
The latest safety lapse at Boeing renews concerns about the company's influence in Washington and whether federal regulators have delegated too much of their oversight authority to its employees.
Regulators say they're increasing control of Boeing production after a panel blew off a 737 Max 9 jet, and will re-examine whether the company can be trusted to assess the safety of its own planes.
The U.S. Transportation Department ordered Southwest Airlines to pay a $140 million civil penalty as part of an agreement over operational failures that stranded millions of passengers a year ago.
Records are likely to fall as millions of Americans take to the skies for Thanksgiving. Federal regulators say they're working to keep the system safe after a troubling report from outside experts.
At a Senate hearing, aviation experts testified that a shortage of air traffic controllers is leading to fatigue and distraction, likely contributing to a series of close calls on runways this year.
The approval of Michael Whitaker, former deputy FAA administrator, ends a span of nearly 19 months in which the agency was without a Senate-confirmed chief.
The Senate Commerce Committee voted to advance the nomination of Michael Whitaker to head the FAA, at a time when aviation experts say the U.S. air travel system shows mounting signs of stress.
The GAO also said airlines are taking longer to recover from disruptions like storms. It said surges in cancellations in late 2021 and early 2022 lasted longer than they did before the pandemic.
The acting head of the Federal Aviation Administration will leave the agency this summer, putting pressure on the White House to quickly find a replacement.
President Joe Biden's choice to run the Federal Aviation Administration has withdrawn his nomination, a setback for the administration that comes after he appeared to lack enough Senate support.
