The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill to reform the Federal Aviation Administration’s aircraft certification process, as the grounded Boeing 737 Max finally received clearance to fly again.
The House bill requires an expert panel to evaluate Boeing’s safety culture and recommend changes.
The bill mandates that all plane makers adopt full safety management systems and undertake comprehensive safety assessments for any major design changes.
It also calls for risk assessments to be shared with regulators.
"Our intent is to ensure a US manufactured airplane never again crashes due to design issues or regulatory failures," said House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio.
DeFazio said the current certification process was ‘a broken system that broke the public’s trust.’
The bill also extends airline industry whistleblower protections and allows for civil penalties on individuals who interfere with or disrupt FAA-authorized duties.
Written by Ray Montgomery, US Editor
