WASHINGTON, Sept 10 (Reuters) - The head of the Federal

Aviation Administration said Tuesday the agency must ensure the

planemaker's safety processes are adequate before it will lift

its 737 MAX production cap.

FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said he raised the issue

with Boeing's ( BA ) new chief executive Kelly Ortberg and wants

to ensure the planemaker follows through on its quality

turnaround plan.

"There have been comprehensive plans before, so I think the

goal now is we really need to make sure that that's executed,"

Whitaker said at an industry conference. "We've capped

production -- that was my first conversation with the new CEO.

We need to make sure the safety metrics are exactly where they

need to be to grow."

Whitaker

in late February gave Boeing ( BA ) 90 days

to develop a comprehensive plan to address "systemic

quality-control issues" after the Jan. 5 Alaska Airlines

Boeing 737 MAX 9 in-flight emergency. Whitaker after the

incident took the unprecedented action of capping Boeing's ( BA ) 737

MAX production at 38 airplanes per month and has ramped up

in-person oversight.

Boeing ( BA ) delivered

the quality plan on May 30

. Whitaker said he would hold quarterly meetings with

Boeing's ( BA ) CEO starting in September in Seattle. Whitaker said

Tuesday he plans to soon hold that meeting.

Whitaker also noted the Justice Department has taken an

interest in Boeing ( BA ) "so they're also implementing monitoring

protocols." Boeing ( BA ) in July

agreed to plead guilty

to a criminal fraud conspiracy charge and pay at least

$243.6 million.

Ortberg, who took over on Aug. 8 as CEO,

said in an employee email last month

after a meeting with Whitaker of the company's "focus on

true culture change, empowering employees to speak up when they

see potential issues and bringing the right resources together

to solve them."