Boeing Co's logo is seen above the front doors of its largest jetliner factory in Everett, Washington, U.S. January 13, 2017. REUTERS/Alwyn Scott/File Photo

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday proposed fining Boeing $3.1 million for a series of safety violations, including actions tied to the January 2024 Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 mid-air emergency, and for interfering with safety officials’ independence.

The FAA found hundreds of quality system violations at the planemaker's 737 factory in Renton, Washington, and Boeing subcontractor Spirit AeroSystems’ 737 factory in Wichita, Kansas, from September 2023 through February 2024.

The mid-air cabin blowout incident involving a new Alaska Airlines MAX airplane missing four key bolts badly damaged Boeing's reputation and led to a grounding of the MAX 9 for two weeks and a production cap of 38 planes per month by the FAA that still remains in place.

The FAA also said Boeing presented two unairworthy aircraft to the FAA for airworthiness certificates and failed to follow its quality system rules.

The FAA found that a Boeing employee pressured another Boeing worker performing tasks on behalf of the FAA to sign off on a Boeing 737 MAX airplane so the company could meet its delivery schedule despite the fact the employee had determined the aircraft did not comply with standards.

Boeing, which has 30 days to respond to the proposed fines, said it was reviewing the proposed FAA penalties and said it continues to work on strengthening its safety culture and improving quality and accountability across operations.

Spirit AeroSystems and Alaska Airlines declined to comment.

In June, the National Transportation Safety Board said Boeing failed to provide adequate training, guidance, and oversight. The board harshly criticized Boeing's safety culture, as well as ineffective oversight by the FAA.

Since early 2024, the FAA has maintained enhanced in-person oversight of Boeing production. An FAA audit of Boeing last year found 97 incidents of noncompliance.

The accident prompted the Justice Department to open a criminal investigation and declare that Boeing was not in compliance with a 2021 deferred prosecution agreement.

Earlier this week, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford told Reuters the agency had not made any decision on whether to lift the production cap of 38 737 MAX planes per month that has been in place since early 2024, or on how it oversees Boeing production.

The FAA continues to inspect each 737 MAX and 787 aircraft before an airworthiness certificate is issued and cleared for delivery. Typically, the FAA delegates airplane ticketing authority to the manufacturer.

A government watchdog report issued in October criticized FAA oversight of Boeing, saying it does not have an effective system to oversee production factories and has not been able to resolve allegations of undue pressure on Boeing employees acting on FAA’s behalf.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Mark Porter, Rod Nickel and Aurora Ellis)