A group of major US airline CEOs has reportedly requested a meeting with Boeing’s board of directors to express concerns over production issues following the near-tragic explosion on an Alaska Airlines flight. There is.
Airline leaders detailed plans to resolve Boeing’s quality issues to Boeing’s board of directors as U.S. regulators scrutinize the company following the Jan. 5 737 MAX crash, people familiar with the matter said. asking you to told the Wall Street Journal on Thursday.
In response, Boeing offered to meet as early as next week with Chairman Larry Kellner, a former chief executive of Continental Airlines, and other board members, people familiar with the matter told the Journal.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun, fighting back tears, “admitted our mistake” in causing an explosion at 16,000 feet that led to an emergency landing, but reportedly encouraged a meeting. , the Virginia-based airline giant confirmed to the Journal.
However, Mr. Calhoun is not expected to attend the scheduled meeting.
It was not immediately clear which other airline executives would attend, but Boeing’s 737 MAX jets are most widely used by Alaska Airlines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines in the United States.
These airlines have been most affected by delays for many of Boeing’s popular airliners.
Frustrated by the backlog, airline executives are cutting routes and looking to buy more planes to meet demand.
Last month, United Airlines said it was “deeply disappointed” by production delays that affected deliveries of Boeing’s new Max 10 aircraft and significantly impacted United’s 2024 growth forecast.
The company also said it planned to suspend pilot hiring in May and June, citing delays in aircraft deliveries from Boeing Co.
Boeing directors also plan to meet with the CEOs of international airlines that fly the company’s planes in the coming weeks, the paper said.
A representative for Boeing declined the Post’s request for comment.
The Federal Aviation Administration has required Boeing to develop a “comprehensive plan of action to address systemic quality control issues” within 90 days.
FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker is demanding that “Boeing must commit to real fundamental improvements” by May 28.
In the meantime, authorities are investigating Boeing’s 737 manufacturing process. After an audit, it turned out that it was not pretty.
Investigating the explosion of a door plug at Boeing supplier Spirit Aerosystems, the agency said mechanics used hotel key cards and liquid dish soap as first aid tools to test compatibility. I discovered what I was doing.
Dawn soap was used “as a lubricant in the conditioning process,” and hotel key cards were used to check the seal of the door, according to a presentation of the FAA’s findings obtained by The New York Times.
Boeing failed 33 of 89 product audits, which examined specific aspects of the production line, for a total of 97 nonconformities, the report said.
Spirit AeroSystems, which makes the airframe for the 737 MAX jet, failed seven of 13 product audits conducted by the FAA.
