Boeing Fires CEO of Commercial Airplanes

Posted By Stephen Hoechst on Oct 23, 2019 | 3 comments

The past 12 months have been some of the roughest times for Boeing in recent memory. In October 2018, Lion Air Flight 610 crashed resulting in the tragic deaths of all 189 souls on board. Then in March of this year, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 157 passengers and crew on board.

Shortly after, the 737 MAX was grounded across the world. The plane remains grounded to this day, encountering several setbacks along the way. It seems unlikely that the 737 MAX will return to the skies before 2020.

This past week, embarrassing messages between Boeing test pilots and engineers emerged. The messages showed that Boeing was aware of issues with the plane’s MCAS system years before the fatal crashes. It also appeared there was financial pressure to get the 737 MAX certified as soon as possible. However, the company believed they fixed the issue and felt it was unnecessary to include it in instruction manuals.

Grounded 737 MAX aircraft (image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Boeing announces changes

Boeing announced that CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Kevin McAllister, would be stepping down from his position. McAllister will be replaced by Stan Deal, head of Boeing Global Services, effective immediately. Deal has been with the company since 1986.

In his departing statement, McAllister made sure to emphasize the company’s commitment to safety.

“Boeing is a great company with a commitment to safety I have seen firsthand working side-by-side with many thousands of tremendously talented and dedicated employees. It has been an honor to serve with such a professional team for the past three years.”

While many in the public may disagree with this statement, it’s safe to say this will be Boeing’s top priority in the near future. If/when the 737 MAX returns to the skies, it will likely be the safest plane flying. Whether or not the public feels comfortable enough to fly it is another story.

Final Thoughts

Long gone are the days of “If it ain’t Boeing I ain’t going”. I’m surprised it’s taken this long to see any major shakeups with Boeing’s leadership. While it’s unfair to blame senior leaders for all that’s gone wrong, it’s also clear that there are some serious issues at Boeing.

As Boeing has shown us, it can take years to build trust and only seconds to lose it. Unfortunately, Boeing seems to be doing more to lose public trust than regain it these days. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a turnaround by the company.

What are your thoughts on how Boeing has handled all of this? Do you have faith in Boeing to turn things around?