A person walks past an unpainted Boeing 737-8 MAX parked at the Renton Municipal Airport next to the Boeing factory in Renton, Washington, on January 25, 2024.
Jason Redmond | AFP | Getty Images
Boeing is replacing the head of its 737 Max program less than two months after a panel on one of the jet models failed during a flight Alaska Airlines This led to a brief federal ban on the aircraft type and increased scrutiny of the aircraft manufacturer’s operations.
The head of the company’s 737 program, Ed Clark, is leaving the company, Stan Deal, CEO of Boeing’s commercial aircraft division, said in a note to employees. Katie Ringgold will become president and general manager of the program and the company’s Renton, Wash., location, Deal said.
“I am announcing several leadership changes as we continue to advance BCA’s increased focus on ensuring that every aircraft we deliver meets or exceeds all quality and safety requirements. Our customers demand and deserve nothing less,” said Deal.
Boeing named Elizabeth Lund to the newly created position of senior vice president of quality for its commercial aircraft division, Deal said in the statement. Lund will continue to report to him, it said. The leadership changes take effect immediately.
“Ed leaves with my and our deepest gratitude for his many significant contributions over nearly 18 years of dedicated service to Boeing,” Deal said.
The Jan. 5 accident aboard the Alaska Airlines flight is the latest crisis for Boeing, which is trying to recover from fatal crashes of its Boeing 737 Max 8 in 2018 and 2019 that killed all 346 people aboard the flights Lives began to gain a foothold again.
It is also the latest and most serious in a series of quality defects on Boeing aircraft that have led to delays in deliveries to customers. A month after the Alaska Airlines flight, Boeing said incorrectly drilled holes in some Max planes would delay the planes’ delivery to airlines.
CEOs including those at Alaska and United have publicly expressed frustration with Boeing as it waits for new planes to capitalize on the post-pandemic travel boom.
The door plug that flew out of the nearly brand-new 737 Max 9 used on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 has already prompted increased scrutiny and restrictions from federal regulators.
A preliminary investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board found that the screws on that panel, which closes an unused emergency exit, appeared not to have been reinstalled before it was handed over to Alaska Airlines last year.
The Federal Aviation Administration has said it has stepped up direct inspections of Boeing’s Max production lines and would ban the manufacturer from increasing production until the agency is satisfied with its quality controls.
As Boeing struggles to fix flaws along its production line, rival airbus has ramped up both production and deliveries of new aircraft.
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2024-02-21 19:42:00
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