Summary
- Willie Walsh, the leader of IATA, expressed confidence in Boeing and its current leadership following the latest 737 MAX issues.
- Walsh was the CEO of IAG when it signed an initial agreement for the 737 MAX.
- Boeing has announced a number of measures following the Alaska Airlines mid-air door plug blowout.
The head of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Willie Walsh, has responded positively to Boeing’s changes to its processes following the latest issue with the 737 MAX, when a mid-cabin door plug blew out on a 737 MAX 9.
Confidence in the current leadership
Walsh spoke to Reuters before the Singapore Airshow, which is happening between February 20 and February 24, 2024. This iteration of the trade event will be without a commercial Boeing aircraft being physically present at the site.
The Director General (DG) of IATA told the publication that the aircraft manufacturer is taking the right measures in response to the brief grounding of the 737 MAX 9 and the subsequent events that have followed the Alaska Airlines mid-air door plug blowout.
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Walsh added that he has complete confidence in the current chief executive officer (CEO) of Boeing, David Calhoun, disagreeing with the notion that the company needs a change within the C-suite. Calhoun has been the President and CEO of Boeing since January 2020, replacing Dennis Muilenburg, who oversaw the manufacturer during the development of the 737 MAX.
Walsh’s long-lasting trust in Boeing
In June 2019, International Airlines Group (IAG), the parent company of several airlines, including Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, and their affiliates, as well as other carriers, said that it would order 200 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, signing a Letter of Intent (LoI).
Then, Walsh was the CEO of IAG, with the Irish executive saying that the group has confidence in Boeing, expecting that the 737 MAX aircraft would successfully return to service following the type’s second fatal crash in Ethiopia in March 2019.
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At the time, IAG detailed that Vueling, LEVEL, and British Airways’ London Gatwick Airport (LGW)-based fleet would utilize the 737 MAX 8 and 737 MAX 10 aircraft. While the former has returned to service in late 2020 and early 2021, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has not certified the latter.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
Boeing’s response to the latest 737 MAX crisis
On January 5, 2024, Alaska Airlines flight AS1282 suffered a mid-air door plug blowout. Shortly after the incident, both Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, two US-based airlines operating the 737 MAX 9 with the door plug, voluntarily grounded the aircraft.
Photo: NTSB
The FAA ordered operators to inspect their 737 MAX 9s before further flight on the following day, essentially grounding the type with a door plug, which is used when the aircraft is configured in a lower-density cabin, which does not warrant an additional emergency exit.
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Meanwhile, Boeing has announced a number of measures to address its quality management on its factory floors. The National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) preliminary report determined that the door plug was opened during production. However, the required bolts to ensure the door plug would stay in place afterward were not installed.
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As part of its investigation, the agency visited Spirit AeroSystem’s headquarters in Wichita, Kansas.
The measures include additional inspections further into the supply chain, performing more work on aircraft at their assigned factory floor positions, multiple days for 737 teams to focus on safety and quality management, and an independent assessment of the manufacturer’s quality management system (QMS).
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