Boeing: the boss of the manufacturer, in the midst of turmoil, announces his departure at the end of the year

Change of direction at the head of Boeing. In the midst of turmoil after several safety problems on its planes, the American aircraft manufacturer announced this Monday, March 25, the departure of its boss, as well as that of other managers. Dave Calhoun will remain at the helm until the end of 2024, the company said in a press release.

He was appointed at the beginning of 2020, in particular to recover Boeing after several crashes already involving the new 737 MAX once again in turmoil. “Serving Boeing has been the greatest privilege of my life,” Dave Calhoun said in a letter to Boeing employees. The eyes of the world are on us and I know we will come out better as a company.”

The reshuffle also concerns Stan Deal, director of the commercial aviation division. He is replaced with immediate effect by Stephanie Pope, the group's current operating director. Around 12:45 GMT, in electronic trading before the opening of the New York Stock Exchange, the aircraft manufacturer's stock rose 3.4% to $195.25.

Board Chairman Larry Kellner further “informed the board that he does not plan to run for re-election in the next election” during the annual general meeting of shareholders, according to the press release. He had held this position since the end of 2019. The board of directors chose Steve Mollenkopf, a member of the Boeing executive board and former boss of chipmaker Qualcomm, to succeed him. In this capacity, Steve Mollenkopf will be responsible for finding a new CEO for Boeing.

The American aircraft manufacturer has been in the midst of a crisis since an accident in early January on a 737 MAX 9 operated by Alaska Airlines, in which a door separated from the cabin in mid-flight. Among other consequences, the United States Civil Aviation Agency (FAA) launched an audit of the manufacturer's quality control. At the beginning of March, it indicated that “non-compliance issues” had been identified in the production control of Boeing and its subcontractor Spirit Aerosystems.

In addition to the incident on board the Alaska Airlines flight, production issues have been reported throughout 2023 as well as a series of other incidents in 2024.