(Reuters) -The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating a Boeing ( BA ) whistleblower's claims that the company dismissed safety and quality concerns in the production of the planemaker's 787 and 777 jets, an agency spokesperson said Tuesday. 

Boeing ( BA ) engineer Sam Salehpour identified engineering problems that affect the structural integrity of the jets and claimed Boeing ( BA ) employed shortcuts to reduce bottlenecks during the 787 assembly process, his attorneys said in a release.

"Rather than heeding his warnings, Boeing ( BA ) prioritized getting the planes to market as quickly as possible, despite the known, well-substantiated issues he raised," said attorneys Debra Katz and Lisa Banks in a Tuesday statement.

Boeing ( BA ) shares fell 2% after the FAA confirmed the investigation, which was first reported by the New York Times.

The FAA said it has met with the whisteblower.

In a statement, Boeing ( BA ) said it was fully confident in the 787 Dreamliner, adding that the claims "are inaccurate and do not represent the comprehensive work Boeing ( BA ) has done to ensure the quality and long-term safety of the aircraft."

(Reporting By David Shepardson in Washington and Allison Lampert in Montreal)