Boeing CEO says planemaker backs FAA halt to 737 MAX production expansion

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun said Thursday the US planemaker supports the FAA decision to bar the planemaker from expanding production of its best-selling 737 MAX planes, following "unacceptable" quality issues.<br/>Calhoun told Reuters in a brief interview after a Capitol Hill meeting he supported the FAA decision and added there is "no question" the agency has the authority to impose the production increase restriction. "We all want safe airplanes. This is a safe airplane," Calhoun said, who has further meetings Thursday with senators. The FAA said the order meant Boeing could continue producing MAX jets at the current monthly rate, but it could not increase that rate. It offered no estimate of how long the limitation would last and did not specify the number of planes Boeing can produce each month. The FAA said MAX 9 planes could resume flights following inspections and maintenance after the agency grounded 171 MAX 9 planes following a mid-air emergency earlier this month.<br/>