Boeing Must Be ‘in the Green’ Before 737 Max Cap Is Lifted

Boeing Co.’s quality control monitors must turn solidly green before US aviation safety regulators will be convinced the planemaker can support higher production rates and exit output limits imposed on its 737 Max jetliner.

“We have made it very clear that those metrics need to be in the green before the production increases above a certain level,” Mike Whitaker, the US Federal Aviation Administration’s top official, said in an interview in Washington on Tuesday. “That’s going to be our focus over the next couple of months to get clarity around that.”

The FAA capped output of Boeing’s ...