Boeing, CEO Calhoun admits safety errors on 737 Max 9
Calhoun and other senior Boeing executives addressed employees at the factory in Renton, Washington, where the 737 is assembled
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Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun barely restrained his tears as he explained to employees that the company must take responsibility for its own shortcomings as it grapples with an accident that undermines the safety of the Boeing 737 Max 9. "We recognise our mistake," Calhoun told Boeing employees Tuesday during a company meeting at the 737 plant near Seattle. "We will address this issue 100 per cent and with complete transparency at every step of the process."
The remarks came during a collective meeting convened by Calhoun to reinforce the safety of its aircraft as the company's top priority after a door detached from a 737 Max last week during flight, leaving a gash in the side of the aircraft in flight.
Calhoun and other senior Boeing executives addressed employees at the factory in Renton, Washington, where the 737 is assembled, and webcast their comments to workers at other locations.
At ground 171 737 Max 9 aircraft
.US regulators grounded 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft and ordered inspections after the accident on 5 January. None of the 177 passengers or crew members on board Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 were injured when the panel detached shortly after the plane departed from Portland, Oregon.
Stan Deal, CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, in charge of increasing production while maintaining quality at Boeing's largest unit, spoke with Calhoun at Tuesday's presentation. Also addressing the workers was safety manager Mike Delaney, whose senior management role was created during the crisis some five years ago involving the US aircraft factory's Max jet: then a software problem caused two fatal accidents in which a total of 346 people died.
