Seat Inspection

FAA Orders $2.66M Seat Inspections on 453 Boeing 737 MAX Jets Amid Certification Oversight

The FAA has recently permitted Boeing to independently issue airworthiness certificates for new examples of its 737 MAX and 787 models, but just a week after Boeing was granted this privilege (which it historically held for decades but was suspended in recent years), the FAA has proposed a new airworthiness directive (AD) regarding improperly installed seats on hundreds of 737 MAXs. It's not actually unusual for the FAA and other regulators to issue ADs, but it does signal that the FAA is only stepping up its oversight of Boeing.