IATA Chief Backs Boeing Leadership
Joe Cortez February 19, 2024
In comments to Reuters, International Air Transport Association director general Willie Walsh affirmed his belief in Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun, despite the continued issues with the 737 MAX project.
Walsh: “I’m Confident That [Calhoun] Will Fix It.”
The comments came before the Singapore Air Show, Asia’s biggest commercial aviation trade show. The stakes at this year’s show may be higher, as the Chinese state-owned COMAC is displaying their competitor to the 737, The C919.
When asked about Boeing’s continued issues – including the 737 MAX-9 door plug blowout in January 2024 – Walsh told reporters he believed in Calhoun and his leadership.
“Boeing are taking the right measures. I think they’ve responded much, much better to this than other events,” Walsh said to Reuters. “”I’ve heard people say you need a change in leadership. I disagree … I’m confident that he (Calhoun) will fix it.”
Moreover, Walsh said he didn’t anticipate that airlines will avoid ordering Boeing aircraft, including the 737 MAX, or flyers would avoid flying aboard the troubled airframe. After a short grounding by the Federal Aviation Administration, the 737 MAX was once again allowed to fly for Alaska Airlines and United Airlines by the end of January.
Prior to leading IATA, Walsh was the head of International Airlines Group, the parent company of British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus. In 2019, Walsh was in charge of IAG when they announced a order for 200 737 MAX airframes.
The comments come as airlines are offering hints of rethinking plans with the Boeing 737 MAX. In comments during a quarterly investor call, United chief executive Scott Kirby said while the airline isn’t cancelling their 737 MAX order, they are taking the MAX-10 variant “out of our internal plans.” Alaska Airlines chief executive Ben Minicucci also told reporters with their pending purchase of Hawaiian Airlines, “everything is open at this point” to potentially expand their fleet beyond Boeing aircraft.
Another overpaid C-suite dummy with good connections...
The only reason Boeing is still getting orders is because the Airbus pipeline is stuffed for decades.
Ex-737 pilot likes 737 producing company. Shocked I am.
These "leaders" just stick together and kiss each others' you-know-whats. Calhoun needs to be lambasted then replaced with an actual engineer not some bean counter.
It truly is a human centipede for these guys who control our lives, in this case, literally lives and deaths. But rather than hold each other to account, they prefer to each give each other reach-arounds.It's clear that Boeing has severe quaity control porblems not just in civil aircraft, but in military:
https://www.defensenews.com/air/2024/02/05/boeing-pushes-back-t-7-plans-due-to-faulty-parts/" target="_blank" data-jsarwt="1" data-usg="AOvVaw1Ro-mvaQZvhpGQsp5tcP43" data-ved="2ahUKEwiCpO3p97mEAxUYRUEAHeNYAAUQFnoECBYQAQ" rel="noopener">"Boeing pushes back T-7 trainer plans due to faulty parts"
https://www.defensenews.com/air/2024/02/05/boeing-pushes-back-t-7-plans-due-to-faulty-parts/" target="_blank" data-jsarwt="1" data-usg="AOvVaw1Ro-mvaQZvhpGQsp5tcP43" data-ved="2ahUKEwiCpO3p97mEAxUYRUEAHeNYAAUQFnoECBYQAQ" rel="noopener">"Boeing delays 767 and Air Force tanker deliveries over supplier error""USAF KC-46A Tanker Still Facing Six Category 1 Deficiencies""Boeing’s Air Force One charges top $2 billion"and space:"Boeing engineers identified new issues relating to a faulty parachute system and wire harness tape used extensively through the Starliner capsule that was found to be flammable under some conditions.""Boeing used 'counterfeit' tools on NASA SLS rockets"If my customers' lives depended on such a problem-plagued supplier, I would be all over them like Ryanair: "Ryanair boss O'Leary made ‘loud complaints’ about lack of quality control""Ryanair has doubled the number of its engineers overseeing Boeing's production lines"But no, Willie Walsh choses to unroll that prehensile tongue of his and give Calhoun a thorough going-over.
It really does beggar belief that after two major crashes caused by poor software design plus the latest scandal of a door blowing out in flight, companies are still playing with the lives of their customers and buying Boeing. If I were the CEO of one of these companies I would be halting all such purchases until Boeing sorts their mess out and proves they are fit to make planes. Sadly I guess the cost of payouts for the loss of human lives is probably less than the big discounts offered to companies so the corner-cutting and poor quality is likely to continue no matter what Willie says. I expected poor quality from the low cost carriers but never expected it from the manufacturers. Strange days when I respect RyanAir more than Boeing!
...not just that but it only used a single active sensor instead of both. Also operation and training manuals for the Max series lacked information about MCAS per a press release from the Department of Justice Public Affairs Office. In a sense flight crews were not alerted about the system which Boeing developed to giving the Max the same "feel" as earlier generation 737s so airlines could avoid re-training costs (which was a major sales pitch to current 737 operators). The company was charged with criminal fraud and conspiracy for, in the DOJ's words, "[choosing] the path of profit over candour by concealing material information..." and "engaging in an effort to cover up their deception."
The sales strategy ended up costing tragically, 246 lives along with for the company, a 2.5$ billion criminal penalty as well as a major hit to their reputation.
The two crashes resulted in a 20 month grounding of the type during which the manuals revised to include information about MCAS. The Max is totally flyable without MCAS but to do so involves extra training (which is now required and takes 6 weeks to complete).
This is not the Boeing I remember and I cannot help but feel in part it has to do with the 1997 McDonnell Douglas acquisition and decisions made afterwards.
Of course, the airlines much share part of the "blame" as well here. Southwest, among others, put intiense pressure on Boeing to build the MAX (a third line extension) with little need for additional pilot training. So, the "fake" outbursts of the execs at AS, UA, and WN ring a bit hollow.
Clearly, what Boeing should have strongly consideed is an extension of the 757/767 series. It would have been more akin to the 321NEO series, both being designed in the same timeframe.
Must have been a large cheque.