Boeing annouced that it was replacing the head of the troubled 737 MAX program with immediate effect from today after the airline nursed yet another languishing make shift quality control problem.
Ed Clark who had been with the planemaker for nearly 18 years departed as Boeing has been dealing with its latest crisis and has vowed to bolster quality efforts.
Katie Ringgold is replacing him as vice president and general manager of the 737 program according to the memo seen including creation of a senior vice president position for quality and safety.
The plane maker's production has been curbed by regulators and closely scrutinised by lawmakers and customers due to multiple failures amongst different airlines the latest being Ethiopia.
Boeing has scrambled to explain and strengthen safety procedures after a door panel detached during flight on a brand new Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9, forcing pilots to make an emergency landing where passengers were exposed to galloping 16000 feet above the ground.
Boeing's board met this week and approved the changes in management according to sources familiar with the matter.
Clark who had been the general manager of the Airline 737 MAX oversaw the production facility in Renton, Washington where the plane had been completed.
Previously the chief engineer and mechanic of the 737, he was named the head of the program in 2021, the fifth person in four years to run it.
According to Boeing, Elizabeth Lund was named to the new position of senior vice president for Boeing Commercial Airlines, Quality leading , quality control and quality assurance.
The latest mishap is Boeing's second major crisis in recent years after crashes in 2018 and 2019 of MAX planes killed 346 people which prompted the grounding of the 737 MAX for 20 months and Boeing was still working to rebuild its reputation.
Airline industry executives have expressed frustration with Boeing's quality control. France's Airbus , the only others major manufacturer of commercial jets last month reported record annual jet orders and confirmed an 11% increase in 2023 deliveries, maintaining the top manufacturing spot over Boeing for a fifth year.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun plans to meet with Federal Aviation Administration chief Mike Whitaker next week after the U.S aviation regulator travelled to Renton to tour the Boeing 737 MAX plant.
The FAA grounded the MAX 9 for several weeks in January of the Max production line while it audits the manufacturing process after a string of quality issues.
The door panel that flew off the MAX 9, appeared to be missing four key bolts that had been removed and not replaced which angered Boeing's airline customers such as Alaska Airlines which decided to conduct quality oversight of planes before they left the Boeing factory.
