Boeing may have improperly installed seats in their tracks on more than 1,000 of its 737 Max passenger jets, creating a potential safety risk, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Late Monday, the agency proposed requiring U.S. airlines to inspect seats on Boeing 737 Max 8, Max 9 and Max 8200 planes. The seats could disengage from the seat tracks if there is an increased load, turbulence or emergency landing, potentially injuring passengers or crew and blocking the aisle during an evacuation,” an FAA spokesperson said in an email.

The FAA's proposal came after determining that the issue is "likely to exist or develop on other products of the same type design, the agency said in its notice on Monday.

If the agency issues a command to U.S. airlines called an airworthiness directive, it would require detailed inspections of the seat track fittings and repairing seats as needed. The compliance time would be within three years, according to the spokesperson.

The directive would apply to about 453 U.S.-registered airplanes and 1,028 airplanes worldwide, according to the spokesperson. The FAA can regulate only U.S.-registered airplanes, although other airlines generally follow the FAA's directive.

In an email, a Boeing spokesperson said that the Virginia-based company issued guidance to operators about the issue in December.

“We support the FAA making that guidance mandatory,” the spokesperson said.

Boeing now inspects these seat installations before aircraft leave the factory, the spokesperson said.

Under Boeing’s president and CEO, Kelly Ortberg, the company has been working to address production deficiencies and safety issues by carrying out a safety improvement plan that it submitted to the FAA in May 2024.

Ortberg assumed the role seven months after a panel flew off a Boeing 737 Max 9 in January 2024, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the plane.

The incident set back Boeing’s plans to improve its reputation after pandemic financial woes and two fatal Max crashes in 2018 and 2019.

Since the 2024 panel blowout, Boeing has focused on increasing unannounced audits, strengthening employee safety reporting, lowering the number of unfinished out-of-sequence jobs moving between factory stations and adding training for employees working with plane parts.

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