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Departure: Boeing chief Dave Calhoun will step down by the end of the year
Boeing has announced it will oust its leadership team as it grapples with a safety crisis that has enraged airlines and sent its stock price tumbling.
Chief executive Dave Calhoun will step down by the end of the year, while chairman Larry Kellner and commercial aircraft boss Stan Deal will also be bailed out.
During a flight in January, a panel from the side of a new Alaska Airlines 737 Max blew into the air, scaring passengers. Investigators said bolts that help hold the panel in place were missing after repair work at a Boeing factory.
US regulators imposed a cap on production of 737s and discovered a series of problems after an inspection of Boeing facilities.
Calhoun was appointed four years ago after Dennis Muilenburg was fired following two crashes that killed nearly 350 people.
Last week, US airline bosses requested a meeting with Boeing executives – without the CEO present – to express their frustration.
Calhoun said yesterday that it was his decision to retire. And he told American broadcaster CNBC: “We still have a mountain to climb.”
Steve Mollenkopf, former boss of chip manufacturer Qualcomm, will take over from Kellner and lead the search for Calhoun’s successor.
Chief operating officer Stephanie Pope replaces Deal.
Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has previously expressed anger at what he called the “s***show in Seattle”, where Boeing is based.
Yesterday he welcomed what he described as ‘much needed management changes’.