U.S. FAA chief to raise quality practices with Boeing execs in Washington -statement

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Federal Aviation Administration’s top official said on Thursday he will raise Boeing’s quality control practices and compliance with manufacturing requirements at a Washington meeting with company executives, after a panel blew out of a 737 MAX plane midair in January.

The date of the meeting is not yet available but follows a trip earlier this week by FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker to Boeing in Seattle.

The U.S. regulator expects to complete an audit of Boeing’s production quality systems in the next few weeks and receive an independent assessment from an independent panel tasked last year with reviewing the planemaker’s safety culture.

(Reporting by Chris Sanders and Allison Lampert; Editing by Doina Chiacu)