Intensified regulatory oversight of Boeing's production practices and enactment of the reauthorisation bill for the US Federal Aviation Administration are crucial to fending off competitive challenges from French airframer Airbus, a US congressman argued during a "State of American Aviation and the FAA" hearing in Washington DC on 6 February. Steve Cohen, a Democrat from Tennessee and ranking member of the House of Representatives subcommittee on aviation, noted during the hearing that "we hope that we can have success and the confidence of the American public that airplanes are flying and that we don't lose business to Airbus". He warns that in the aftermath of the door-plug blowout event on 5 January during an Alaska Airlines flight operated by a 737 Max 9, "the French have already made overtures" – presumably to US carriers. "[Aircraft manufacturing] is an important industry to America," Cohen says. He adds: "As [the Max 9 incident] and the Max 8 crashes [in 2018 and 2019] demonstrate, complacency is a luxury we cannot afford when it comes to aviation safety. Boeing and the FAA's oversight must make necessary changes to ensure that similar incidents and accidents don't happen again – doors flying off in the middle of the air, planes falling out of the sky, or whatever." The congressman asked hearing witness FAA administrator Michael Whitaker if the regulator is looking at aircraft manufacturing "around the world" to "get best practices on all these things". Whitaker responds: "Well, we'd like to think that we're the best practices." "We may be," Cohen says, "but Airbus kind of claims that they're doing pretty good." Cohen also asked Whitaker – whose nomination as FAA administrator was approved by the US Senate in October 2023 – which aspects of the production oversight and quality assurance of Boeing aircraft are considered delegated by the FAA to the manufacturer, and how the FAA oversees the airframer's representatives when they are performing those delegated functions. It was not immediately apparent from Whitaker's response if he is clear on who does what during oversight of Boeing's production processes. He notes that the FAA has "tasked" MITRE (a nonprofit organisation that supports federally funded research and development centres in the USA) to "actually look sort of at a technical level of where the delegations are and what our options are with respect to delegation". Until recently, the onus for quality control had mostly rested with Boeing, Whitaker suggests. "Quality control and quality assurance are a key function for a manufacturer," he says. "So it normally falls within the purview of that manufacturer, although there's no reason to not have those types of functions done by a third party. So I think that's something we'd want to look at as well." The FAA administrator adds that manufacturers' oversight of production has "focused heavily" on an audit system in which paperwork is checked to make certain "systems are in place". The regulator is now "migrating" to what Whitaker calls an "audit-plus" system. "We are going to have more of a surveillance component, much like you would find on the flight line or in maintenance stations, where inspectors are actually on the ground talking to people and looking at the work that's being done. So we are proposing at this point to expand the oversight approach to include both audit and inspection, which is why we're moving inspectors into the facilities." He adds: "We know what we need to do next, which is to have more on-the-ground presence to verify what's going on." Cohen and other members of the aviation subcommittee – which falls under House Transportation and Infrastructure committee – complained that the US Senate's hold-up on considering the bipartisan FAA reauthorisation bill passed by the House in July 2023 is further imperiling the safety and growth of US aviation. Sam Graves, a Republican from Missouri and chairman of House Transportation and Infrastructure committee, warns of the "consequences of having no long-term FAA bill". The legislation would provide the FAA with additional funding and staffing, and help resolve the shortage of air traffic control professionals. Graves and Cohen are both looking to Whitaker to apply pressure on US senators to mark up the House bill and approve their own version. "We're depending on you to pick up that slack," Graves says to Whitaker. Cohen adds: "The first thing we need to do is to get the reauthorisation bill passed. We've done our job, now it's your job to get the Senate to do their job."

The mid-cabin exit door (MED) plug that separated from an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 on 5 January appears to not have had retainer bolts reinstalled following work to replace damaged rivets in a nearby area during the aircraft's assembly. The US National Transportation Safety Bureau states in its preliminary investigation report on the accident that the aircraft, registered N704AL (MSN 67501), had its fuselage arrive at Boeing's Renton facility on 31 August. Records show that on 1 September damage to five rivets was noted in an area forward of the left MED plug. Replacing those rivets required the door plug to be removed for access, and this was undertaken by Spirit AeroSystems staff. The NTSB obtained photos shared between Boeing personnel that showed the plug back in place following the repair but noted "evidence of the left-handed MED plus closed with no retention hardware (bolts) in the three visible locations" required to secure the plug to the fuselage. "These Boeing personnel were discussing interior restoration after the rivet rework was completed during second shift operations that day," the report states. "The investigation continues to determine what manufacturing documents were used to authorise the opening and closing of the left MED plug during the rivet rework." Fleets data shows that the aircraft was delivered to Alaska Airlines on 31 October and although the aircraft underwent a wifi installation with AAR in Oklahoma City after delivery, the NTSB found "no evidence that the left plug MED was opened after leaving Boeing's facility." The investigator adds that it will schedule interviews with Boeing and Spirit personnel at a future date and will be examining both companies' safety management systems. It will also "assess the FAA’s involvement in the manufacturers’ development of their respective SMS programs and the level of oversight applied to each". Boeing responded soon after the report was published, issuing a statement in which it restated several actions taken to strengthen its quality control measures. "Whatever final conclusions are reached, Boeing is accountable for what happened," says the company's president and chief executive Dave Calhoun. "An event like this must not happen on an airplane that leaves our factory. We simply must do better for our customers and their passengers. We are implementing a comprehensive plan to strengthen quality and the confidence of our stakeholders. It will take significant, demonstrated action and transparency at every turn – and that is where we are squarely focused.” Spirit issued its own brief statement following the release of the report. "As we review the NTSB’s preliminary report, we remain focused on working closely with Boeing and our regulators on continuous improvement in our processes and meeting the highest standards of safety, quality and reliability," it states.

WestJet will start flights to Seoul, Reykjavik and Edinburgh as part of a wider network expansion announced for its 2024 northern summer schedule. The Canadian carrier says it will begin flights from Edmonton to Atlanta, Nashville and San Francisco; and from Calgary to Seoul, Reykjavik in Iceland and Deer Lake in Newfoundland. The other routes include Vancouver-Detroit, Halifax-Edinburgh, St. John's-London Gatwick and Regina-Minneapolis. Some of the routes that will be reinstated include flights from Halifax to Dublin, London Gatwick and Orlando; and from Toronto to Dublin, Edinburgh, Providenciales, Puerto Plata, and Moncton. The airline adds that there will be more flights between Hawaii and Canada and it will be the only carrier providing year-round service between Canada and Maui-Kahului, from both Calgary and Vancouver. WestJet says it will increase transborder seat capacity by 26% this summer, including 70% growth to its codeshare partner Delta Air Lines hubs. "This summer will see the return of seasonal, leisure-focused flying, to connect Eastern and Western Canada, and substantial growth in service to sun destinations, further cementing our position as Canada's leading leisure airline," says WestJet Group Executive vice-president and chief commercial officer John Weatherill.