Boeing fires head of 737 Max program

Boeing Co. on Wednesday fired the head of its 737 Max aircraft program, shaking up the company’s leadership amid the fallout from the Alaska Airlines door plug mid-air explosion in January.

Ed Clark, who led Boeing’s 737 Max division, will leave Boeing effective immediately, according to a memo from CEO Stan Diehl.

Diehl said the leadership change puts the company’s “focus on ensuring that every aircraft we deliver meets or exceeds all quality and safety requirements.” He said it symbolizes that. Our customers demand and deserve more. ”

The Alaska Airlines incident resulted in the grounding of the 737 Max 9 aircraft by order of the Federal Aviation Administration, and a regulatory investigation found numerous problems with the manufacturing process. The airline recently announced a complete overhaul of its quality control processes, particularly at its Renton, Wash., plant, where the 737 Max 9 aircraft are manufactured.

Inspectors found loose or missing bolts on multiple 737 Max 9 planes, including an inner door plug, the faulty part that caused the Alaska Airlines crash. Although no one was injured in the incident, it sparked public backlash against the company and negatively impacted its stock price. Since then, the company’s stock price has fallen about 12.5%.

After intensive testing, the first 737 Max 9 aircraft entered service late last month.

Clark took over the 737 Max program in 2021 after two crashes caused by flaws in the autopilot system. The crash grounded the plane for nearly two years and killed nearly 350 people.

“Ed leaves with my and our deep gratitude for his many significant contributions over nearly 18 years of dedicated service to Boeing,” Diehl said in the memo. I wrote it down.