Airlines ready to trust Boeing again, but want quality and safety in place

American aerospace giant Boeing has an important task to accomplish: regaining the trust of its customers. As airlines around the world are ready to put their trust in Boeing again, they want the aircraft manufacturer to return to its historic standards of quality and safety.

“The problem for me at Boeing is the culture. It is one of the best technology, engineering and quality companies in the world. But I think they’ve let short-term finance take primacy, and all they need to do is get back to the culture of quality and engineering and finance will take care of itself- same,” United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby told Mint.

Boeing has been in the spotlight since January over the investigation into the 737-9 MAX plane. On January 5, Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 took off from Portland bound for Ontario, United States, and shortly after takeoff, a door plug, or structure installed to replace an optional emergency exit door, exploded , causing the aircraft to decompress uncontrollably. The plane returned to Portland and several passengers required medical attention after landing.

As a result, the United States National Transportation Safety Board opened an investigation into the Alaska Airlines incident and a few weeks later the NTSB was also investigating another incident in February in which a United Airlines pilot on board a Boeing 737 Max-8 reported stuck rudder pedals. during a landing.

“I think Boeing has work to do. This is a question that concerns us all. They will eventually succeed. They will restore their production lines, their operational safety, their construction quality, it will come. We are all paralyzed by this. But they participate in it and they understand. “It’s the most important thing they get, so they know they can’t continue the way they’ve been doing,” Emirates chairman Tim Clark told Mint on the sidelines of the summit. IATA Aviation earlier this month in Dubai.

The ongoing investigation at Boeing has also slowed the pace of the aircraft manufacturer’s deliveries. Deliveries in May halved to 24 commercial planes from 50 in the same month a year ago as the company said it was producing fewer MAX planes to improve manufacturing quality.

“Everyone is aware of the challenges Boeing faces, given the high profile of the events they faced, but I think everyone agrees that we want to see these equipment manufacturers high-performance original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and we need strong competition, and we only have two major aircraft manufacturers… knowing that we also have Embraer, which does an excellent job, and that it “There is a developing industry in China, we want to see these manufacturers operating and meeting the expected standards,” the International Air Transport Association said. said general manager Willie Walsh.

While investigations by the NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration, the US aviation regulator, are ongoing, Boeing has also implemented a management shake-up plan. President and CEO Dave Calhoun will step down as CEO at the end of 2024. Stan Deal, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, retired from the company in March and was replaced by Stephanie Pope.

On May 30, Boeing executives, including Pope, met with the FAA to outline its comprehensive safety and quality plan, which includes investments in workforce training, simplification of plans and processes, eliminating defects and elevating the safety and quality culture. Pope then came for a day on June 3 from Seattle to meet with airlines at the IATA Aviation Summit in Dubai and reportedly reassured customers of her determination to resolve several issues at Boeing. For airlines, the new management brings optimism but also caution.

“They still have my trust, I cannot speak for others,” said Lufthansa chief executive Carsten Spohr, while Emirates chairman Clark said: “Time will tell on the new management .”

Adam Boukadida, chief financial officer of future airline Riyadh Air, told Mint that Pope and his team had the full support of the airline and that he did not expect a significant delay in the delivery of their first plane Boeing, scheduled for next year.

“The most important thing to do is make structural changes to return Boeing to the level of greatness it has historically achieved,” Kirby said.