© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Boeing’s 737 MAX-9 is pictured under construction at their production facility in Renton, Washington, U.S., February 13, 2017. REUTERS/Jason Redmond/File Photo
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Federal Aviation Administration’s top official said on Thursday he will raise Boeing (NYSE:)’s quality control practices and compliance with manufacturing requirements at a Washington meeting with company executives, after a panel blew out of a 737 MAX plane midair in January.
The date of the meeting is not yet available but follows a trip earlier this week by FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker to Boeing in Seattle.
The U.S. regulator expects to complete an audit of Boeing’s production quality systems in the next few weeks and receive an independent assessment from an independent panel tasked last year with reviewing the planemaker’s safety culture.