New York state comptroller asks Boeing CEO to explain handling of Max 9 fallout
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The latest troubles are upending the aerospace industry’s 2024 plans, changing airlines’ fleet and expansion goals.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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CHICAGO - New York State’s comptroller has asked Boeing chief executive Dave Calhoun to explain how it is handling its current crisis in the wake of a door plug blowout on its 737 Max 9 aircraft early in January
The comptroller’s office oversees the state’s pension system, which held a 0.16 per cent stake in the United States planemaker at the end of September 2023.
In his letter, New York Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli asked Mr Calhoun to detail the steps taken by the company thus far to “ameliorate” immediate quality and safety issues, as well as the longer-term reforms needed to prevent a repeat.
Mr DiNapoli also asked about the role of Boeing’s board in overseeing the current crisis.
“How will you restore confidence among your customers and the flying public?” he wrote.
Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comments.
The company, long a symbol of America’s manufacturing prowess, is in the crosshairs of regulators, politicians and airlines following the Jan 5 incident, which is under investigation.
On Jan 5, a two-month-old Boeing 737 Max 9 narrowly escaped disaster after a mid-cabin door plug blew out the left side of the jet as it climbed from Portland, Oregon, en route to Ontario, California, forcing pilots to turn back and land safely with 171 passengers and six crew on board.
While the US Federal Aviation Administration has allowed grounded Max 9 planes to return to service after inspections, it has imposed a freeze on production increases of the single-aisle 737 Max – Boeing’s best-selling jets.
The planemaker and its Max jets have been under scrutiny ever since crashes of the more widely sold Max 8 killed 346 people in 2018 and 2019. It led to worldwide groundings for 20 months.
The latest troubles are upending the aerospace industry’s 2024 plans, changing airlines’ fleet and expansion goals.
Several industry commentators, including influential analyst Richard Aboulafia, have called on Mr Calhoun or other executives and board members to step aside.
Mr DiNapoli wrote the recent events have “fuelled a narrative that Boeing continues to be plagued by safety and oversight failures”. REUTERS
