Boeing faces a new FAA review as it plans temporary layoffs due to a labor strike at a key supplier

Boeing, the world's largest supplier of aircraft components, said on Friday it would temporarily lay off 700 workers later this month, warning that it would have to cut Boeing machinists strike Lasts beyond November.

Spirit Aerosystem Friday said employees who make parts for Boeing 767s and 777s will be off the job for three weeks starting Oct. 28. A strike by about 33,000 Boeing workers in the Pacific Northwest that began Sept. 13 halted production of those planes and Boeing 737 Max jets.

Boeing is in process Purchase of Spirits for $4.7 billion To reduce outsourcing and have more control over its supply chain.

A key supplier furlough was announced as Boeing faces a new review of its compliance with Federal Aviation Administration safety regulations.

FAA Said it will test key security mechanisms At Boeing Within the next three months to ensure that they “result in timely, accurate safety-related information for use by the FAA.”

An FAA spokeswoman said the review was not triggered by any particular incident but is part of FAA oversight. Safety culture At the giant aircraft manufacturer. The FAA later increased its investigation of the company A panel is blown A Boeing Max during an Alaska Airlines flight in January.

“We continue to cooperate fully and transparently with the FAA,” a Boeing spokeswoman said Friday. We support all measures that strengthen aviation security.”

Last week, the Inspector General of the Department of Transport Dr Weaknesses in FAA oversight Limiting Boeing's ability to find and fix problems

The auditor said the FAA failed to ensure that Boeing and its suppliers produced parts that met engineering and design requirements and to investigate Boeing claims. Improper pressure On authorized employees to conduct security inspections. The FAA closed only 14 of the 34 reports of undue stress, with the rest remaining open for an average of more than a year, according to the report.

Meanwhile, there are no outward signs that Boeing's strike will end soon The company said so last week plan to close The aerospace giant will lay off nearly 17,000 people in the coming months as it tries to deal with revenue losses from its idled assembly lines.

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

Spirit Aerosystems spokesman Joe Buccino said the temporary furloughs are part of a cost-cutting plan that includes hiring freezes and restrictions on overtime work and travel. He said Spirit, based in Wichita, Kansas, has built up a large inventory of 767s and 777s that cannot be shipped to Boeing because of the strike, and that Spirit no longer has room to store them.

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