This decision came as a relief to US carriers Alaska airlines and United airlines, who were forced to cancel thousands of flights when the MAX 9 planes were grounded. The airline operators intended to resume the planes for commercial operation on friday and sunday (January 28).
However, the FAA's decision not to allow Boeing to extend manufacturing of its 737 MAX aircraft would have far-reaching consequences for the industry. The US planemaker wanted to boost production of this model to meet up with demand in the jet market.
"We will not agree to any request from Boeing for an increase in production or approve additional production lines for the 737 MAX until we are satisfied that the quality control issues discovered during this process are resolved," FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker was cited as saying by Reuters.
"The quality assurance issues we have seen are unacceptable," Whitaker said in a statement.
The FAA clarified the rule, telling Reuters: "That means Boeing can continue producing at the current monthly rate, but they cannot increase that rate."
The FAA did not offer a clear schedule for how long the production expansion restriction would persist or how many planes Boeing may make each month.
Boeing, for its part, stated that it will continue to collaborate "fully and transparently" with the US regulator and follow directives to improve the quality and safety of its planes.
The FAA also issued recommendations for the inspection and maintenance of the grounded MAX 9 planes, which will resume operation on Friday.
"The exhaustive, enhanced review our team completed after several weeks of information gathering gives me and the FAA confidence to proceed to the inspection and maintenance phase," Whitaker said in a prepared statement.
Last october, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun stated that the firm aimed to construct 38 MAX 737 aircraft each month by the end of 2023.
According to its master schedule, which establishes the manufacturing tempo for suppliers, Boeing planned to expand output to 42 planes per month in february, 47.2 in August, 52.5 by february 2025, and 57.7 in october 2025, Reuters said.
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