The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating an incident aboard a Delta flight in which a cabin pressurization issue with the Boeing 737 caused some passengers to bleed from the nose and ears.
The agreement, which will give controllers 10 hours off between shifts and 12 hours off before and after a midnight shift, comes after close calls between planes that were following orders from controllers.
The NTSB says an air traffic controller’s mistake led to a near collision of two jets on a runway in Texas last year. Investigators say critical safety technology might have prevented the incident.
Federal regulators say all airline passengers must be able to evacuate a plane within 90 seconds. The FAA reauthorization bill would require the agency to reconsider its testing standards.
The Senate passed a bill designed to improve safety and customer service for air travelers, a day before the law governing the Federal Aviation Administration expires.
The FAA says Boeing informed the agency in April that required inspections to confirm that the wings were properly bonded to the carbon fiber fuselage on certain 787 jets were not completed.
The move follows a series of recent issues at the airline, including a piece of the outer fuselage falling off one jet, an engine fire and a plane losing a tire during takeoff.
The findings, part of a six-week audit by the FAA, singled out both Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems in the wake of January's in-flight door plug blowout on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 jet.
Boeing has 90 days to come up with a plan to fix quality control issues, the FAA said Wednesday. Critics say those problems go far beyond the door plug that blew off a 737 Max in midair last month.
While the Federal Aviation Administration says the grounded 737 Max 9 aircraft can resume flying after inspections, the agency imposed sweeping jet production restrictions at Boeing factories.
The Federal Aviation Administration is recommending that airlines visually inspect the door plugs of Boeing 737-900ER jets after some airlines reported unspecified issues with the bolts.
The latest safety lapse at Boeing renews concerns about the company's influence in Washington and whether federal regulators have delegated too much of their oversight authority to its employees.
Regulators say they're increasing control of Boeing production after a panel blew off a 737 Max 9 jet, and will re-examine whether the company can be trusted to assess the safety of its own planes.
