Boeing must do more before regaining certification responsibility

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford stated on Monday that while Boeing has made progress, it still needs to do more before it can regain the delegated certification responsibilities that were previously removed. Bedford stated that government employees will be repositioned deeper into production facilities as more responsibilities are returned to Boeing. This will enable better oversight, rather than simply signing off on the aircraft at the end, according to Airways Magazine. Bedford also told Bloomberg reporters the FAA is still evaluating Boeing's request to increase its 737 MAX output to 47 aircraft a month. "They need to do more and we're working with them to help them get where they need to go," said Bedford in Singapore at an industry conference, according to the Seattle Times. Boeing was part of the FAA's Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) program that allowed select organizations to perform certification functions on behalf of the FAA. The administration stopped allowing the company to issue certificates for the 737 MAX in 2019 and the 787 in 2022 following multiple safety violations and production quality issues. The violations include the Jan. 5, 2024, Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 incident, when a door plug blew off shortly after departure, leading to a temporary grounding and emergency airworthiness directive for the Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft. Hundreds of quality system violations were found at Boeing's 737 factory in Renton, Washington, and at Spirit AeroSystems' 737 factory in Wichita, Kansas. One non-ODA Boeing employee is reported to have pressured a Boeing ODA unit member to sign off on a 737 Max aircraft so Boeing could meet its delivery schedule, even though the ODA member found the aircraft did not comply with standards. RELATED STORIES: Boeing to increase 737 MAX production to 47 per month in 2026 FAA allows Boeing limited permission to issue airworthiness certificates FAA proposes $3.1M in fines against Boeing for safety violations The FAA announced in Sept. 2025 that Boeing would be allowed a limited ability to issue airworthiness certificates. The company and administration would issue certificates on alternating weeks and the FAA would continue to oversee Boeing's production process.