The former CEO of American Airlines believes Boeing can improve its poor safety culture and regain trust.
president of UAE-based airline Emirates warns that Boeing’s manufacturing processes are slowing down and the company needs to course-correct following the loss of a 737 Max 9’s door plug panel and subsequent grounding of the plane for inspection. .
Tim Clark, Emirates’ president since 2003, told the Financial Times: boeing manufacturing Quality has been “gradually declining”, which has plunged the airline giant into a “last chance saloon”.
He added that Emirates is sending engineers to observe the 777 production process at Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems, a major supplier to Boeing’s manufacturing network. In November, Emirates announced that it had ordered 90 Boeing 777 jets and would add five more 787 Dreamliners to its existing order.
“The fact that we have to do it proves what happened. In the past, something like this wouldn’t have been authorized. You know, we’re implicitly doing these things. I trusted people to do it,” Clark told the Times.
Boeing Flag found that some 737 MAX aircraft had holes drilled incorrectly, potentially delaying deliveries
Executives at Emirates Airlines, which operates the Boeing 777 and 787 Dreamliner, said Boeing’s manufacturing quality has declined and it has reached a critical juncture. (GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Emirates will join Alaska Airlines in sending engineers to audit Boeing’s production lines to address potential problems.
| ticker | safety | last | change | change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BA | boeing company | 206.63 | -2.75 | -1.31% |
Alaska Airlines shut down its 737 Max 9 production line after one of its planes had a door plug panel come off at 16,000 feet during a flight from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California, on January 5, causing cabin depressurization. It will be monitored. The plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Portland, but no serious injuries were reported.
Door plugs cover emergency exits and allow airlines to use them in floor plans with high passenger capacity.
Boeing CEO says company has ‘a lot to prove’
United Airlines also announced it would consider new acquisition plans, at least outside of the United States. Boeing’s delayed 737 Max 10still awaiting certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
| ticker | safety | last | change | change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UAL | United Airlines Holdings Co., Ltd. | 40.01 | -1.36 | -3.29% |
| alk | Alaska Airlines Group Co., Ltd. | 35.28 | -0.85 | -2.35% |
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun said the company is working to restore customer trust and confidence. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, Getty Images/Getty Images)
Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun said on a Jan. 31 conference call with analysts accompanying the company’s recent earnings release that the company understands customer frustrations and is taking action. He said that the company needs to focus on restoring customer trust.
“We understand why they are angry and we will work to earn their trust. There are no messages or slogans to achieve that. It’s all about real, proven actions and It’s about absolute transparency every step of the way,” Calhoun said. “The more oversight we have, from regulators, from third parties, the better we will be. It’s that simple,” he added.
Calhoun also said that Boeing is “very careful not to speed up the system too much, and we are not slowing down or stopping production to take the time we need to get things right.” “We have never hesitated to suspend deliveries…But this accident…” This makes it clear that we still have a lot of work to do. ”
Alaska Airlines resumes 737 MAX 9 operations, Boeing president speaks
A plastic sheet covers the fuselage area outside the hangar of an Alaska Airlines N704AL Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft that lost a door plug during a flight on Jan. 5. (Matthew Lewis Rolland/Getty Images/Getty Images)
On Monday, FAA announced Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, the two U.S. airlines that operate the 737 Max 9, have announced that they have completed inspections of nearly 94% of their Max 9 fleets and the aircraft are back in service.
The agency had lifted the grounding of the Max 9 planes on Jan. 24, pending inspections outlined for each airline by the FAA and Boeing. The inspection required detailed inspection of the door plug and dozens of associated components, as well as close inspection of certain bolts, guide tracks, and fittings.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating whether a bolt was missing from the plane that blew off the cabin door’s plug panel. The FAA is also increasing on-site surveillance. production line At Boeing and its suppliers.
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The FAA announced that 78 of United Airlines’ 79 Max 9 planes have been inspected and returned to service, and 57 of Alaska Airlines’ 65 Max 9 planes have returned to service. The state of Alaska has indicated that inspections of all Max 9 aircraft, except those involved in the emergency, will be completed by Tuesday.
Reuters contributed to this report.
