WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell on Tuesday urged the Federal Aviation Administration to address critical concerns before deciding whether to extend a program that allows Boeing ( BA ) to perform FAA-delegated tasks like inspections and approving repairs.

The FAA in May 2022 opted to renew Boeing's ( BA ) Organization Designation Authorization program -- known as ODA -- for three years, rather than the standard five years, to ensure the planemaker implemented "required improvements."

Boeing's ( BA ) quality and safety efforts have faced harsh criticism since a January 2024 mid-air emergency involving a new Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 missing four key bolts.

Cantwell told Reuters that the deadline for renewal was important for the FAA.

"They have a great opportunity to basically build a kind of collaboration and focus on safety," Cantwell said.

The FAA said it would respond directly to Cantwell. Boeing ( BA ) did not immediately comment. CEO Kelly Ortberg is set to testify on Wednesday before Congress.

Then FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker in February 2024 ordered Boeing ( BA ) to implement a safety and quality improvement plan and acknowledged prior oversight "was too hands off." Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said last month Boeing ( BA ) needs strict oversight.

After the incident, the FAA took the unprecedented step of imposing a production cap of 38 planes per month on the 737 MAX.

The FAA said in 2022 one requirement before a new extension was that ODA employees can "act without interference by company officials."

Congress passed sweeping reforms in December 2020 on how the FAA certifies new airplanes after two fatal 737 MAX crashes killed 346 people and led to the plane's 20-month grounding.

The FAA continues to inspect all Boeing 737 MAXs and 787 Dreamliners before issuing airworthiness certificates for individual planes, rather than delegating the tasks to Boeing ( BA ).

The Office of Inspector General said FAA oversight officials in 2023 sought to allow Boeing's ( BA ) ODA to resume issuing final airworthiness certificates for 737 and 787s. Before FAA senior officials could approve the request, the Alaska mid-air emergency occurred.

"The FAA's attempt to re-delegate final airworthiness certificate approvals back to Boeing ( BA ) is all the more troubling given that it occurred the exact same month as the Alaska Airlines flight 1282 fuselage with damaged rivets was shipped from Wichita to Renton," Cantwell wrote to the FAA.

The OIG report said FAA data demonstrated a decline in Boeing ( BA ) production quality and that the FAA oversight was not effective.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chris Reese and Deepa Babington)