Boeing made an announcement on Wednesday regarding changes in its leadership, a move that comes amid increased scrutiny on safety issues following an incident where a door panel blew out during a flight over Oregon.
In the executive shake-up, Ed Clark, who had been an integral part of Boeing for nearly 18 years and had been leading the 737 program since early 2021, will be departing from the company with immediate effect.
Clark played a pivotal role in overseeing the operations at the Renton factory in Washington, where the final assembly of the Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 involved in the recent accident took place. Federal investigators revealed that bolts crucial for securing a panel called a door plug were found missing following repair work on the aircraft.
Katie Ringgold, currently serving as a vice president responsible for the delivery of 737s to airlines, will succeed Clark as the vice president and general manager of the 737 program as well as the Renton factory. This leadership transition was communicated to employees through an email from Stan Deal, the CEO of Boeing's commercial airplanes division.
Additionally, Boeing announced other key appointments, including the appointment of longtime executive Elizabeth Lund to the newly created role of senior vice president for commercial airplanes quality.
Deal emphasized that these changes are part of Boeing's intensified focus on ensuring that every aircraft meets or exceeds all quality and safety standards. He stated, "Our customers demand, and deserve, nothing less."
The recent door panel incident involving the Alaska Airlines Max 9 has drawn further attention to Boeing's operations from regulators, Congress, and airlines alike. The FAA grounded all Max 9s in the US for approximately three weeks to conduct inspections of emergency door panels, and production at Boeing has been limited until other quality issues are addressed. FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker expressed concerns that Boeing may not be prioritizing safety sufficiently amid efforts to ramp up production to meet airline demand.
The CEOs of Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, both affected by the Max 9 grounding, voiced frustration and anger towards Boeing, questioning the company's plans for improving manufacturing quality.
Boeing CEO David Calhoun acknowledged the company's responsibility for the problem and pledged to regain the confidence of its customers. Boeing has since implemented increased inspections, enlisted a retired Navy admiral to review quality management, and conducted discussions on quality and safety with workers by temporarily halting the 737 assembly line for a day.
Criticism of Boeing has intensified to levels reminiscent of the aftermath of the fatal crashes involving Max 8 jetliners in Indonesia and Ethiopia in 2018 and 2019, which resulted in the loss of 346 lives and the resignation of Boeing's then-CEO.
Following these developments, shares of The Boeing Co. closed down 1% on Wednesday, marking a 19% decline and an approximate $27 billion loss in stock-market value since the door blowout incident.
