A group of executives from US-based airlines will meet with Boeing's leadership to discuss pervasive quality issues, The Wall Street Journal reported. The US manufacturer's chief executive officer, Dave Calhoun, will not take part and will leave the company at the end of the year.
The tete-a-tete, the demand for which came after an Airlines for America (A4A) meeting, will be attended by Boeing Chairman Larry Kellner and other board members. Kellner himself has announced he will not seek re-election at the upcoming 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders and will instead be replaced by Steve Mollenkopf.
"Steve will lead the board process of selecting my successor as CEO," Calhoun said in his message to staff.
While Calhoun will continue as CEO until the end of 2024, the Chief Executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Stan Deal, has retired with immediate effect has been replaced by the company's current chief operating officer, Stephanie Pope.
The outgoing CEO identified the January 5, 2024, Alaska Airlines B737-9 door blow-out incident as "a watershed moment" for the embattled American airframer. "We must continue to respond to this accident with humility and complete transparency. We also must inculcate a total commitment to safety and quality at every level of our company," Calhoun wrote. "We are going to fix what isn't working, and we are going to get our company back on the track towards recovery and stability".
Ryanair, one of Boeing's largest customers with 215 undelivered B737 MAX on order, immediately welcomed "these much-needed management changes in Seattle".
