Despite a string of fatal crashes, near-catastrophes, and embarrassing mishaps that have caused its share price to plummet and airlines all over the world to pull some of its aircraft, Boeing claimed Friday that it had met a number of internal safety and quality control standards.
In a press statement, the business claimed to have improved safety culture, training, process simplification, and defect elimination, among other areas.
Less than a week has passed since the most recent fatal crash involving one of its aircraft when the statement was made. At Muan International Airport, a Boeing 737-800 belly-landed and went off the runway, killing 179 people in the deadliest aviation accident in South Korean history.
Nevertheless, Boeing stated in a section titled “Elevating Safety & Quality Culture” that it has implemented important criteria across Final Assembly for the 737, 787, and parts of the 767 and 777 to reduce risk and has addressed more than 70% of action items in the production of commercial airplanes based on employee feedback.
Despite this, the corporation that controls a virtual duopoly of the airline sector with Airbus of Europe has had a challenging year. Alaska Airlines’ main union ceased manufacturing aircraft in early 2024 after a critical fuselage panel broke off of one of its aircraft, and issues with its Starliner space capsule left two astronauts stranded in orbit.
Following a number of deadly tragedies involving Boeing aircraft in recent years, particularly those involving Ethiopian Airlines and Indonesia’s Lion Air, the various aviation authorities issued grounding orders on specific Boeing aircraft.
Since the end of 2023, all of that has taken nearly a third of the value out of its share price.
Whistleblowers from within Boeing came forward with complaints regarding chaotic internal processes in the manufacturing of its 737 and 787 aircraft during the company’s challenging 2024.
John Barnett, one of the whistleblowers, was discovered dead at the age of 62 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His family said after his passing that his efforts to draw attention to grave issues were met with a culture of secrecy that prioritized financial gain over security.
The company has subsequently seen a change of CEOs, and Robert Kelly Ortberg, who was appointed in August, has been working on a significant recovery plan. He went farther than his recent predecessors in admitting the harm to Boeing’s reputation in an October message to staff, emphasizing the necessity of a fundamental culture shift.
According to Reuters, Ortberg stated in the letter, “This is a big ship that will take some time to turn, but when it does, it has the capacity to be great again.”
However, two months later, in October, the Federal Aviation Administration announced that, as part of its heightened examination of Boeing’s operations, it would begin a three-month evaluation of the company’s adherence to safety standards.
Last month, FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker responded to NBC News’ Lester Holt’s question about whether Boeing was too large to fail by saying that the firm had failed and was undergoing a significant reset. They have the means to perform this reset and rebuild in a safer and higher-quality way.
However, Boeing’s news release emphasizes the company’s investment in workforce training, including hundreds of hours of new curriculum to training programs that include quality proficiency and Positive Safety Culture, as well as strengthened training for mechanics and quality inspectors with an improved support system.
Boeing also stated that it is working to streamline its operations, emphasizing the 737 production line’s installation plans and removing flaws. When the business claimed that its partnership with Spirit AeroSystems had greatly decreased fuselage assembly faults by expanding inspection points, the 737 aircraft was brought up. Boeing claimed to have completely adopted new protocols pertaining to the final assembly of its 737 and 787 airplanes, which trace and safeguard parts to avoid mishandling or loss.
The timing of Boeing s statement will not be lost on many in the aerospace industry. Both the 53-day strike and the Alaska Airlines event that began the company’s terrible year are mentioned in the release itself.
Sunday marks the first anniversary of the near catastrophe aboard Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 and the company will likely be keen to show its progress in the year since.
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!