WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Monday it would reform the way it certifies new aircraft in accordance with congressional legislation following two fatal Boeing 737 MAX crashes that killed 346 people.
Lawmakers have approved radical reforms in legislation signed on Sunday by US President Donald Trump, which stimulates FAA surveillance of aircraft manufacturers, requires the disclosure of critical safety information and provides new protections for whistleblowers.
The FAA said in a statement that “it will work to implement the changes as instructed by Congress. The FAA is committed to continually promoting aviation safety and improving our organization, processes and culture. “
Senator Roger Wicker, a Republican who chairs the Trade Committee, said Monday in an opinion piece that the law “will take steps to protect against producers who put undue pressure on employees during the certification process.”
Wicker added that the law “should help restore the FAA’s safety culture.”
An FAA survey published in August showed that some security workers reported facing “strong” external pressure from industry and sounded the alarm, the agency does not always give priority to air safety.
The FAA lifted the 20-month ground of the 737 MAX last month. MAX is set to resume commercial passenger flights on Tuesday, when American Airlines starts flying MAX on a Miami-New York flight.
The legislation requires an independent review of Boeing’s safety culture.
Boeing, which is facing an ongoing criminal investigation into MAX, did not comment on the new law.
The FAA must report to Congress on the implementation of the recommendations issued after the crash of 737 MAX.
“You cannot legislate for cultural change, but we are certainly trying to increase security goals,” said Senator Maria Cantwell, a senior Democrat on the Senate Trade Committee.
The law repeals rules that allow FAA employees to receive bonuses or other financial incentives based on compliance with certification programs or producer-based quotas.
“We’re not going to pay the FAA people to move planes faster,” Cantwell said. “It’s about getting the right safety.”
The law authorizes civil sanctions against aviation manufacturer supervisors that interfere with employees acting on behalf of the FAA, authorizes new resources for the FAA to add key technical personnel, and requires it to review pilot training.
The United States has not had a fatal US passenger airline accident since February 2009 and only one death due to a US airline crash during this period. The FAA credited the decline in mortality, in part “because the FAA has established robust information exchange programs throughout the aviation industry that have encouraged openness.”
Reporting by David Shepardson; Montage by Stephen Coates