Lawmakers slam FAA ‘secrecy’ over Boeing 737 Max
The Federal Aviation Administration has been accused by lawmakers of keeping Congress ‘in the dark’ over certifying the Boeing 737 Max.
During testimony by FAA chief Steve Dickson before a Senate Commerce Committee, there has been an ‘unwillingness to cooperate with congressional oversight’, senators said.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal told Dickson his responses were ‘totally unsatisfactory and the ‘culture of secrecy at the FAA has only been aggravated under your tenure.’
The FAA has continued to withhold documents about the development and safety certification of the 737 Max.
Proposed new legislation called the Aircraft Safety and Certification Reform Act of 2020, wants to change how the FAA conducts safety reviews, by bringing to an end the practice of Boeing employees conducting safety work on behalf of the FAA.
It would require the FAA to approve each employee that carries out safety work, but Dickson told the committee that would likely have little effect.
"A primary goal of this legislation is to make sure the FAA remains in the driver’s seat when it comes to certification," said Sen. Maria Cantwell.
The Boeing 737 Max has been grounded globally since March 2019 after the two crashes that killed 346 people.
The FAA plans to conduct certification flights in the near future and Dickson himself will pilot the jet before any approval is granted.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports
All eyes on Qatar as Qatar Airways leads a season of global events