Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun acknowledged the US planemaker’s mistake as more than 170 jets remained grounded for a fourth day, telling company staff it would ensure accidents like the Alaska Airlines panel explosion in mid-air “can’t happen again.”
The planemaker’s top official, Stan Deal, also told a somber town hall meeting at the Renton, Washington 737 plant that Boeing acknowledged “the true seriousness of the accident” as it launched an inspection into its quality controls and processes.
Calhoun’s statement was Boeing’s first public acknowledgment of a mistake since a so-called door plug broke from the nearly full fuselage of the 737 MAX 9 on Friday, leaving a gaping hole next to a miraculously empty seat.
Calhoun said he had been “shocked to the bone” by the crash, which has put renewed pressure on Boeing over its troubled family of small planes nearly five years after a full-blown MAX safety crisis sparked by deadly crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia.
This image provided by Kelly Bartlett shows passengers near the hole in the fuselage of Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9, Flight 1282 on January 5, 2024. AP Stan Deal told a somber town hall meeting that Boeing acknowledged “the true seriousness of the accident.” AFP via Getty Images
“We’re going to approach this, number one, admitting our mistakes,” Calhoun told employees, according to a quote released by Boeing. “We will approach it 100% and complete transparency every step of the way.”
Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, two US airlines that use temporarily grounded aircraft, have found loose parts on the same plane, raising fears that similar incidents could happen again.
‘QUALITY CONTROL ISSUES’
In a separate meeting on Tuesday, Boeing told staff that the findings were considered a “quality control issue” and that inspections were underway at Boeing and fuselage supplier Spirit Aerosystems, sources familiar with the matter said.
A passenger’s oxygen mask hangs from the roof next to a missing window and part of a side wall of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 in Portland, Oregon. Instagram/@strawberrvy via REUTE
Boeing has sent written orders to its own factories and its suppliers to ensure such problems are addressed and to conduct a broader review of systems and processes, they said.
Boeing shares fell 1.4% on Tuesday as United canceled 225 daily flights, or 8% of its total, while Alaska Airlines canceled 109, or 18%.
A similar cancellation is expected on Wednesday.
This image provided by Kelly Bartlett shows passengers with oxygen masks on Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9, Flight 1282, which had to return to Portland International Airport. AP
Calhoun also told Boeing employees that the company will “make sure every next plane that takes to the sky is actually safe.”
He praised the Alaska Airlines crew for landing the plane quickly, with only minor injuries to the 171 passengers and six crew members.
Calhoun, who was a member of Boeing’s board when all MAX jets were grounded in 2019, also praised Alaska Airlines for quickly grounding its 737 MAX 9 jets, adding he knows “how difficult it is to land an airplane, much less its fleet,” the source said. said.
Plastic sheeting covers the fuselage area of Alaska Airlines N704AL Boeing 737 MAX 9 outside the hangar at Portland International Airport on January 8, 2024 in Portland, Oregon. Getty Images
Some industry leaders privately criticized Boeing for not grounding the plane sooner on Saturday. People with knowledge of the matter said it had drawn up plans to order an inspection when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) intervened with an emergency order to ground 171 planes.
Boeing voiced support for the FAA’s actions, and the company’s contrite tone on Tuesday contrasted with statements criticized as legalistic after the 2018 Lion Air 737 MAX crash in Indonesia.
US-based crisis communications expert Paul Oestreicher, who criticized Boeing in 2019 for taking weeks to admit its mistakes after Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashed, said this time Calhoun “acted more quickly, acknowledged the importance of transparency, expressed some empathy , and committed to fixing.”
Boeing declined to comment on Calhoun’s remarks outside of an official quote.
INSPECTION PROTOCOL
The panel that flew Alaska Air Flight 1282 replaced the optional exit doors on the airline’s 737 MAX 9 aircraft that have a more compact seating configuration.
Boeing has reviewed the service records of previous Boeing 737-900ER aircraft that had similar door plugs, but all had undergone extensive maintenance since delivery and none showed signs of the same problem, the source said.
Agents examine a door plug from Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on January 8, 2024, after it was found in Portland, Oregon. National Transportation Safety Board/AFP via Getty Images
Airlines have yet to begin official inspections of their grounded planes.
The FAA said Tuesday that Boeing is revising its instructions for inspections and maintenance, which regulators must still approve before the review can begin.
The FAA said it “will conduct a thorough review” and public safety will determine a timeline for returning the MAX to service.
Boeing finished 2023 in second place behind rival Airbus in aircraft deliveries for the fifth consecutive year, after seeing about 50% of its market share eroded by the previous crisis, sources said.
The latest problems could prompt the FAA to take tougher steps in certifying designs for other models, including changes required to the smaller MAX 7.
Boeing has requested a waiver to allow certification before design changes that analysts say are less likely now.
Two senior industry sources said they expect the plane that Southwest Airlines has been waiting for will face another six-month delay.
FAA chief Mike Whitaker, who took the job in October, will testify before Congress next month and may face questions about the approval of the 737 MAX aircraft.
A trial is in the works prior to the incident on the Alaska Airlines flight.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
