WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Monday it will reform the way it certifies new aircraft in accordance with congressional legislation following two fatal Boeing 737 MAX crashes that killed 346 people .
Lawmakers on Sunday passed radical reforms to legislation signed into law by U.S. President Donald Trump, which increases FAA oversight of aircraft manufacturers, requires the disclosure of critical safety information and provides new protections against whistleblowers .
The FAA said in a statement that “it will work to implement the changes as directed by Congress. The FAA is committed to the continued advancement of aviation safety and the improvement of our organization, processes and culture.”
Senator Roger Wicker, a Republican who chairs the Commerce Committee, said Monday in an opinion piece that the law “will take steps to protect itself from manufacturers putting undue pressure on employees during the certification process.”
Wicker added that the law “should help restore the safety culture in the FAA.”
An FAA survey published in August found that some security employees reported having “strong” external pressure from the industry and sounded alarms that the agency does not always prioritize air safety.
The FAA lifted the 20-month base of the 737 MAX last month. The MAX will resume commercial U.S. passenger flights on Tuesday, when American Airlines begins flying the MAX on a flight from Miami to New York.
The legislation requires an independent review of Boeing’s safety culture.
Boeing, which is facing an ongoing criminal investigation into the MAX, has not commented on the new law.
The FAA must report to Congress on the implementation of the recommendations issued following the 737 MAX accidents.
“Cultural change cannot be legislated, but we are confident that we will try to increase security goals,” Senator Maria Cantwell, the top Democrat on the Senate Trade Committee, said in an interview.
The law repeals rules that allow FAA employees to receive bonuses or other financial incentives based on meeting manufacturer-based certification schedules or fees.
“We’re not going to pay the FAA people to move the planes faster,” Cantwell said. “It’s about ensuring safety.”
The law authorizes civil sanctions against aviation manufacturer supervisors that interfere with employees acting on behalf of the FAA, authorizes new appeals for the FAA to add key technical personnel, and requires it to review pilot training.
The United States has not suffered any fatal U.S. passenger plane crash since February 2009 and only one fatality due to a U.S. passenger crash in that period. The FAA credited the decline in fatalities in part “because the FAA established robust programs to share information across the aviation industry that encouraged openness.”
Report by David Shepardson; Edited by Stephen Coates