FAA administrator says Boeing still not producing MAX planes after strike

The head of the FAA said on Thursday that Boeing has not yet resumed producing 737 MAX airplanes following a machinists strike, but plans to begin later this month. FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker this week met with Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg and toured Boeing's 737 plant in Renton, Washington, as it boosts oversight following the strike, which ended Nov. 4. Whitaker said Boeing's plan is to slowly restart production later this month and he plans another meeting in January as the company ramps up. "The thing that I was most struck by was we're four weeks post-strike and they're still not producing airplanes, because they're focused on their workforce, the training, making sure they have the supply chain sorted out," Whitaker told Reuters in a wide-ranging interview. Boeing, whose shares closed down 1%, did not respond to a request for comment. The 737 is Boeing's top-selling airliner, making the production restart vital to the aircraft maker's financial future. Whitaker capped production at 38 737 MAX planes per month in January after a door panel missing four key bolts flew off an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 during a flight that month, exposing serious safety issues at Boeing. He declined to say when he thought the FAA would restore Boeing's ability to produce more than 38 planes per month, but said he would be surprised if it was less than multiple months before they get close to the 38 maximum. "We really get great visibility on that journey up from 0 to 38 to see how they're doing," Whitaker said.<br/>