The U.S Federal Aviation Administration has banned Boeing from increasing production of its best-selling 737 MAX planes.
The aircraft manufacturer has been under intense scrutiny ever since a chunk of fuselage blew out of one of its new planes shortly after take-off earlier this year.
US regulators imposed the limits in February and have now declared that they will remain in effect for at least the “next few months”.
It comes after officials from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) met with outgoing CEO Dave Calhoun and other corporate leaders.
Regulators have imposed “enhanced oversight” on Boeing after a part of fuselage blew out of an Alaska Airlines new 737 MAX 9 shortly after takeoff.
Concerns have been raised as a result of a number of prior accidents involving the company’s aircraft.
Boeing has also faced a slew of whistleblower claims, including an allegation – which the company has disputed – that it was “putting out defective planes”.
The FAA said it would continue with weekly meetings and other scrutiny of the company.
Administrator Mike Whitaker said he did not expect Boeing to win approval to increase production “in the next few months” and said it faced a “long road” to address safety issues.
He added that regulators would monitor quality and safety improvements at the firm “to give us a fundamental picture of whether they are in the right zone”.
Mr Whitaker added: “Regardless of how many planes Boeing builds, we need to see a strong and unwavering commitment to safety and quality that endures over time.
“This is about systemic change, and there’s a lot of work to be done.”
Boeing is said to be currently producing significantly fewer than the 38 737 MAXs per month it is permitted to by the FAA.
