_
_
_
_

Boeing CEO will depart as part of broader company leadership shakeup

Dave Calhoun will step down from the embattled plane maker at the end of the year

Dave Calhoun
Dave Calhoun, CEO of Boeing, speaks on stage during the delivery of the final 747 jet at their plant in Everett, Washington, U.S. January 31, 2023.David Ryder (REUTERS)

The top executive at embattled plane maker Boeing will step down this year amid a broader shakeup of the company’s top leadership, capping a tumultuous five plus years that have shaken faith in one of America’s most storied manufacturers.

The company has come under intense scrutiny over its manufacturing process since a pair of its marquee aircraft crashed, killing hundreds of people in late 2018 and 2019 in Indonesia and Ethiopia.

Those problems have snowballed and the Federal Aviation Administration recently ordered an audit of assembly lines at a Boeing factory near Seattle, where the company builds planes like the Alaska Airlines 737 Max that suffered a door-panel blowout on Jan. 5. Investigators say bolts that help keep the panel in place were missing after repair work at the Boeing factory.

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun will step down from the embattled plane maker at the end of the year. Calhoun took over the company after CEO Dennis Muilenburg was ousted following the two crashes.

Board Chair Larry Kellner has also told the company he doesn’t plan to stand for re-election.

Boeing also said Monday that Stan Deal, president and CEO of its commercial airplanes unit, will retire from the company. Stephanie Pope will now lead the division.

Boeing is also under intense pressure from the CEOs of various airlines, who have been outspoken in their frustration with Boeing’s manufacturing problems, which have slowed deliveries of planes that the carriers were counting on.

Southwest Airlines recently said that it was reevaluating its financial expectations for this year because of related delays in the delivery of planes.

“As we begin this period of transition, I want to assure you, we will remain squarely focused on completing the work we have done together to return our company to stability after the extraordinary challenges of the past five years, with safety and quality at the forefront of everything that we do,” Calhoun wrote in a letter to employees.

Calhoun acknowledged that Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 was a “watershed” moment for Boeing.

“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,” he said.

The board has elected Steve Mollenkopf to succeed Kellner as independent board chair. In this role, Mollenkopf will lead the board’s process of choosing Boeing’s next CEO.

Shares rose 4% before the market open.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition

Tu suscripción se está usando en otro dispositivo

¿Quieres añadir otro usuario a tu suscripción?

Si continúas leyendo en este dispositivo, no se podrá leer en el otro.

¿Por qué estás viendo esto?

Flecha

Tu suscripción se está usando en otro dispositivo y solo puedes acceder a EL PAÍS desde un dispositivo a la vez.

Si quieres compartir tu cuenta, cambia tu suscripción a la modalidad Premium, así podrás añadir otro usuario. Cada uno accederá con su propia cuenta de email, lo que os permitirá personalizar vuestra experiencia en EL PAÍS.

En el caso de no saber quién está usando tu cuenta, te recomendamos cambiar tu contraseña aquí.

Si decides continuar compartiendo tu cuenta, este mensaje se mostrará en tu dispositivo y en el de la otra persona que está usando tu cuenta de forma indefinida, afectando a tu experiencia de lectura. Puedes consultar aquí los términos y condiciones de la suscripción digital.

More information

Archived In

Recomendaciones EL PAÍS
Recomendaciones EL PAÍS
_
_