Boeing has announced that its boss Dave Calhoun will leave at the end of the year. This comes at a time when the firm is facing a deep crisis on safety after an unused door recently blew out of a Boeing 737 Max in January shortly after take-off.
Aviation experts have said that a change in the company’s leadership is long overdue.
Calhoun took over the reins of the company after his predecessor Dennis Muilenburg, was ousted in the aftermath of one of the biggest crises in aviation history. Calhoun after taking over had then said that he would strengthen the safety culture of the company and rebuild trust.
In a span of six months starting from 2018, two brand new 737 Max planes crashed leading to the death of close to 350 people. The investigation found that a flawed flight control software caused the incidents.
The company agreed to pay $2.5 billion to settle charges of fraud, though it later admitted in court of not being guilty.
In January, an emergency exit door blew off a new Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max after it took off from the Portland International Airport.
The US aviation safety board in its report had said that bolts meant to attach the door securely to the aircraft had not been fitted. The company is facing criminal investigation into the incident.
The Federal Aviation Administration has earlier said that a six-week audit of the 737 Max production process at Boeing and its supplier Spirit Aerosystems found multiple instances when the company failed to comply with manufacturing quality control requirements.
The crisis has had a major impact on the aviation industry with airline companies having to wait longer to get a grip on the problems. Budget airlines like Ryanair have warned its passengers of higher ticket prices and delayed aircraft deliveries as they havent received the delivery of new Boeing planes.
