“If it’s not Boeing, I’m not going,” was long a cherished slogan of the aircraft giant. Not everyone agrees today: French finance minister Bruno Le Maire said this week that he preferred “flying in Airbus over Boeing — my family too, they care about me”. The quip probably reflected often bitter transatlantic rivalries over plane-making. But five years after twin Boeing 737 Max 8 plane crashes killed 346 people, and two months after a door panel on another model blew out mid-flight, the company’s woes seem to be deepening. As the Southwest Airlines CEO has put it, Boeing needs to “get the issues understood and get the issues fixed”.
An initial probe into January’s door plug blowout concluded four bolts meant to attach it had not been fitted. In the months before, Boeing had had issues with misdrilled bulkhead holes and a missing rudder control nut. The mishaps keep coming. TheUS regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration warned last week of improperly installed wiring bundles on 737 Max planes. And 50 passengers were hurt when a 787 flying from Australia to New Zealand suddenly plunged, after which Boeing told airlines to inspect switches on 787 pilots’ seats.
The FAA said an audit of Boeing and its key supplier Spirit AeroSystems had found multiple alleged failures to comply with manufacturing quality requirements; it has given Boeing bosses 90 days to draw up a plan to fix quality issues. An expert panel found a “disconnect” between top managers and staff and “inadequate and confusing” safety processes.