Ryanair has welcomed the changes at Boeing that see CEO Dave Calhoun agreeing to stand down at the end of the year and Stephanie Pope appointed to lead Boeing Commercial Aeroplanes effective yesterday, replacing Stan Deal who has retired.
In a letter to staff on Monday, Mr Calhoun described the Alaska Airlines incident as a “watershed moment for Boeing” and said it had to respond with “humility and complete transparency. The eyes of the world are on us, and I know that we will come through this moment a better company.”
After an initial report revealing that essential bolts were missing, Boeing is currently under a criminal investigation and facing legal actions from passengers on the flight, which has raised concerns about the company’s focus on speed over safety and its relationships with airline customers and regulators. Some US airlines asked for meetings with Boeing at which Mr Calhoun would not be present.
The Federal Aviation Administration recently conducted an audit that found multiple instances of non-compliance with manufacturing quality control requirements in the production process of the 737 Max aircraft at Boeing and its supplier Spirit Aerosystems.
Larry Kellner will step down as Boeing’s chair, to be replaced by Steve Mollenkopf, who will lead the search for a new chief executive, following an expert panel’s report highlighting a disconnect in the company’s safety culture and staff concerns about reporting problems.
A written statement from Ryanair said: We look forward to working with Stephanie Pope to accelerate B737 aircraft deliveries to customers, including Ryanair in Europe, for Summer and Autumn 2024. We also look forward to continuing to work with Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun and CFO Brian West, and to helping Boeing recover its aircraft deliveries so that Ryanair can continue to grow strongly.”
