Trump DOT secretary pick pledges to maintain Boeing 737 MAX production cap
The man nominated by President Donald Trump to head the US Department of Transportation (DOT) has pledged to maintain a cap on Boeing 737 MAX production that was put in place following the Alaska Airlines incident last year when a door plug separated from a plane midflight.
On January 22, 2025, Sean Duffy, the former US Representative for Wisconsin, received the backing of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, to lead the DOT in a unanimous vote and will now face the full Senate.
In a letter to the Senate Commerce Committee before clearing the committee, Duffy gave an insight into his thoughts on Boeing and the company’s future production capabilities.
“The cap will be maintained and will be lifted when I, in consultation with the career safety experts at FAA and the Administrator, have confidence that a production increase will not reduce the quality of the aircraft being produced,” wrote Duffy according to Reuters.
Duffy also wrote that he would meet with Boeing at the “earliest feasible moment” and ensure that the action plan agreed to remedy the planemaker’s production issues would still be followed.
In January 2024, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) imposed a limit on Boeing 737 MAX production to 38 jets per month following the Alaska Airlines incident and the cap has remained in place since.
Concerns over quality and safety following the incident also drove the decision, and the repercussions are still being felt by Boeing today with a dramatic fall in the number of aircraft deliveries made in 2024.
The government’s transportation sector is facing a major shakeup after President Trump officially took power on January 20, 2024.
David Pekoske, the Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), was asked to step down and the head of the FAA, Mike Whittaker, confirmed in December 2024 that he would resign on the day of President Trump’s inauguration.
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The post Trump DOT secretary pick pledges to maintain Boeing 737 MAX production cap appeared first on AeroTime.
The man nominated by President Donald Trump to head the US Department of Transportation (DOT) has pledged to…
The post Trump DOT secretary pick pledges to maintain Boeing 737 MAX production cap appeared first on AeroTime.
