The Federal Aviation Administration is launching an extensive review of how Boeing Co. employees. they handle security issues on behalf of the agency after some of the company’s engineers said they were facing undue pressure, according to a letter from the agency and people familiar with the matter.
An FAA survey this year found that 35% of a small sample of some Boeing employees reported problems, including pressure and obstacles to transparency, according to a letter from the agency on May 19. August at Boeing. Some employees surveyed, who are part of a group authorized by the agency to help him work, said they had difficulty being transparent with regulators, according to the letter, which saw the Wall Street Journal.
U.S. aviation regulators have long relied on employees of aerospace companies to act on their behalf to perform certain tasks, such as signing certain safety assessments or approving aircraft for delivery. The problems cited by Boeing employees in the survey “indicate that the environment does not support the independence” of those who have the power to act on behalf of the agency, according to the letter, signed by Ian Won, manager in functions of the FAA Boeing control office. in the Seattle area.
A Boeing spokeswoman said the company takes “these issues with the utmost seriousness” and is working to strengthen the independence of its employees working on behalf of the FAA.
“We have constantly reinforced with our team that delegated authority is a privilege and that we must work every day to trust responsibility,” he said. Boeing has ordered that its FAA delegates “be given the same respect and deference shown to our regulator.”