US FAA to conduct scenario-based planning with Boeing before it may lift 737 MAX production cap

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) -The head of the Federal Aviation Administration said on Tuesday the agency intends to conduct scenario-based planning, known as tabletop exercises, with Boeing before it will consider lifting the 38-plane-per-month cap on 737 MAX production. The exercises will review potential issues Boeing may face if it boosts production and aim to ensure the planemaker maintains progress on quality, officials said. "They still haven't asked us to increase the rate, and we haven't agreed to do anything," FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford told Reuters on the sidelines of an event at the Philadelphia airport on Tuesday.