The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed fining Boeing USD3.14 million for multiple safety violations tied to quality-control lapses, interference with safety officials’ independence, and the January 2024 mid-air door plug blowout on a B737-9 operated by Alaska Airlines.

In a statement, the FAA said its investigators found "hundreds of quality system violations" at Boeing’s B737 factory in Renton, Washington, and at subcontractor Spirit AeroSystems’ plant in Wichita, Kansas, between September 2023 and February 2024. The agency also accused Boeing of improperly presenting two unairworthy aircraft for airworthiness certification and of failing to follow its quality system.

In one case, the FAA said a Boeing employee pressured an authorised company inspector to approve the delivery of a B737 MAX so that Boeing could meet its delivery schedule despite the aircraft not meeting FAA standards.

The fines, totalling USD3,139,319, represent the maximum civil penalties allowed by law, the authority said. Boeing has 30 days to respond.

In a statement to ch-aviation, Boeing said it regretted the January 5, 2024, door-plug accident and pledged to "continue to work on strengthening our safety culture and improving first-time quality and accountability across our operations". Boeing said its performance indicators are meeting expectations, with added focus on safety and quality through new company values, and a new performance management system to boost accountability.

"Last year, under the oversight of the FAA, we instituted a Safety & Quality Plan with key performance indicators to enhance safety management and quality assurance in airplane production. Our team continues to implement these improvements, such as investing in workforce training, strengthening production system compliance, and encouraging employees to speak up," a spokesperson said.

The Alaska Airlines incident, which caused an emergency landing at Portland International, Oregon, renewed scrutiny of Boeing’s production practices and prompted federal probes and congressional hearings into its safety culture.