WASHINGTON, Sept 25 (Reuters) - The head of the Federal

Aviation Administration told a U.S. Senate panel on Wednesday

that Boeing ( BA ) must address a series of safety issues before

he will let them boost 737 MAX production, warning the issue

could impact company profits.

FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker capped production at 38 MAX

planes per month in January after a door panel missing four key

bolts flew off an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 midair in January.

"They cannot grow to where they need to grow without"

making broad safety improvements in six key categories, Whitaker

said at a Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigation hearing

on FAA's oversight of Boeing ( BA ). "They don't do that, they don't

grow, and if they don't grow, they're not going be able to

achieve profitability."

Boeing ( BA ) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Senator Richard Blumenthal, chair of the committee, noted

that Boeing ( BA ) previously produced 52 planes per month in 2018 but

production has slid below 38. He asked if lowering the cap would

make it more effective.

"Boeing ( BA ) is quite aware that they're not going to

increase production on any of these aircraft" until they show

they are meeting six key metrics, Whitaker said.

Reuters reported Sept. 10 that Boeing ( BA ) told suppliers it was

delaying a key production milestone for its 737 MAX by six

months, three industry sources said, a sign the planemaker was

struggling to boost production of its best-selling jet.

Boeing's ( BA ) latest 737 supplier master schedule

communicated to the industry calls for MAX output to reach 42 a

month in March 2025, compared with its previous target of this

month.

Boeing ( BA ) has not changed its official plane production

target, which calls for 38 MAX jets a month by the end of 2024,

up from roughly 25 jets a month in July.