USA TODAY
Move follows work halt on troubled 737 Max
Boeing’s chief executive officer, Dennis Muilenburg, is resigning amid ongoing problems at the company over the troubled Max 737 aircraft.
Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg, who has faced intense criticism for his handling of the 737 Max crisis, resigned effective immediately, the company announced Monday.
The Max was grounded worldwide in March after the second of two crashes that killed a total of 346 people. Boeing had hoped to get the plane flying this year but announced recently that it would temporarily halt Max production next month.
The announcement also came one day after Boeing’s Starliner capsule landed in New Mexico following a difficult flight that saw mission managers scrambling to save the unmanned spacecraft.
Board Chairman David Calhoun was named CEO and president effective Jan. 13. Chief Financial Officer Greg Smith will serve as interim CEO during the transition, the statement said.
Board member Lawrence Kellner will become non-executive chairman of the board, effective immediately.
“A change in leadership was necessary to restore confidence in the company moving forward as it works to repair relationships with regulators, customers and all other stakeholders,” Boeing said in a statement.
Boeing will operate “with a renewed commitment to full transparency, including effective and proactive communication” with the FAA, other global regsome ulators and its customers, the statement said.
Boeing appeared confident last month that the FAA would certify its software fixes for the troubled plane this year and that it could resume deliveries of new Max planes to airlines in December, with the plane returning to commercial service in January.
Calhoun even gave Muilenburg a vote of confidence in November, saying the board believed Muilenburg “has done everything right” during the Max crisis.
The FAA, however, has repeatedly said there is no timetable for bringing the planes back into service. FAA administrator Steve Dickson recently chastised Muilenburg for repeatedly suggesting the plane would be recertified this year.
Dickson was also concerned that of Boeing’s public statements on the plane’s return were designed to force the FAA into taking quicker action. Dickson told Muilenburg that Boeing’s focus should be on the “quality and timeliness of data” submitted to the FAA for review ahead of any ungrounding.
On Monday, the FAA said in a statement that it was informed of Muilenburg’s departure from Boeing but said it does not comment on personnel decisions.
Two airline unions, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA and Transportation Workers Union Local 556, called the resignation of Muilenburg “long overdue” in a statement issued by their leaders, who represent 70,000 flight attendants, including those at United and Southwest airlines.