Boeing has been in the spotlight for months because of its quality problems, especially from the US aviation authority. Now the aircraft manufacturer has presented an action plan.
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Aircraft manufacturer Boeing presented the US aviation authority FAA with an action plan to improve quality controls within the company on Thursday. The FAA requested such a plan after a near-disaster involving a Boeing 737 Max earlier this year.
Since then, several authorities in the USA have been investigating, Boeing has had to reduce its production and is also being closely monitored by airlines. FAA boss Mike Whitaker said at the time that Boeing must commit to “real and profound improvements” and examine every aspect of quality assurance.
Details of the measures in the action plan were not initially disclosed. However, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun emphasized in a statement that both recommendations from experts and suggestions from employees had been taken into account. Calhoun will leave the company at the end of the year following the series of mishaps.
Boeing’s poor corporate culture is probably part of the problem
As aviation expert and long-time Boeing spokesman Heinrich Großbongardt explained for Capital after the incident in January, fewer and fewer engineers have had a say at Boeing in recent years. As a result, the separation between finance and technology has become increasingly blurred, which probably led to bad decisions in production.
Boeing actually wanted to increase the pace of building its Max aircraft: firstly, to gain some ground on its competitor Airbus, and secondly, to secure its cash flow. After all, deliveries are crucial to the company’s economic success. But the many mishaps at Boeing show that the numbers are a secondary problem for the aircraft manufacturer.
In recent weeks, there have been repeated reports of incidents: lost or non-extending wheels and turbulence on board, which in some cases even resulted in several injuries.
Source: Stern
