Boeing faces a new FAA review as a major supplier plans furloughs due to a worker strike

Boeing Co., the largest supplier of aircraft components, said on Friday that it will furlough 700 workers later this month, warning that it will have to resort to layoffs if… Boeing workers strike It continues beyond November.

Air spirit systems Starting October 28, employees who make parts for Boeing's 767 and 777 planes will be off the job for three weeks, the US airline said on Friday. A strike by about 33,000 Boeing workers in the Pacific Northwest that began on September 13 halted production of those planes and the Boeing 737 MAX.

Boeing is in the process of Buying Spirit for $4.7 billion To reduce outsourcing and gain more control over its supply chain.

The furloughs were announced at a major supplier as Boeing faced a new review of its compliance with Federal Aviation Administration safety regulations.

Federal Aviation Administration It said it would examine key safety processes At Boeing over the next three months to ensure it “results in accurate safety information for timely use by the FAA.”

An FAA spokesperson said the review was not caused by any specific event but was part of FAA oversight Safety culture In a huge aircraft maker. The FAA subsequently increased its scrutiny of the company The plate exploded A Boeing MAX plane during an Alaska Airlines flight in January.

“We continue to cooperate fully and transparently with the FAA,” a Boeing spokesperson said Friday. We support all measures that enhance safety in aviation.”

The Transportation Department's inspector general said last week Weaknesses in FAA oversight It limits their ability to find and solve problems at Boeing.

The auditor said the FAA failed to ensure that Boeing and its suppliers make parts that meet engineering and design requirements and investigated allegations that Boeing Puts inappropriate pressure On authorized personnel to conduct safety inspections. The FAA closed only 14 of the 34 undue pressure reports, while others remained open for more than a year on average, according to the report.

Meanwhile, there are no outward signs that the strike at Boeing may end soon. The company said last week that it… Plan a layoff About 17,000 people in the coming months as the airline giant tries to deal with revenue losses from idled assembly lines.

Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su met this week with representatives of Boeing and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, a sign of the Biden administration's concern about the impact of the strike on the economy.

The furloughs are part of a cost-cutting plan that includes a hiring freeze and restrictions on overtime and travel, said Joe Buccino, a spokesman for Spirit AeroSystems. Spirit, based in Wichita, Kan., had built up a large inventory of 767s and 777s that couldn't be shipped to Boeing because of the strike, and Spirit didn't have room to store them anymore, he said.

“If the strike continues beyond November, financial pressures will require us to implement additional layoffs and furloughs,” Buccino said.