Boeing officials recently outlined the steps it has taken to bolster quality control about one year after a high-profile mid-air door blowout on one of its planes.
The aerospace giant issued an update on the safety initiatives undertaken over the course of 2024, but federal aviation regulators added that the work to turn the company around will take much longer.
Reducing Defects, Implementing Audits
The company, now based in Virginia, said in the update that it has “significantly” curbed defects in fuselages for its 737 jets made by Spirit AeroSystems, CNBC reports. A covered-over emergency door in the fuselage of a 737 Max 9 aircraft — later found to lack critical bolts — blew out during an Alaska Airlines flight last January. The plane safely made an emergency landing, and no one was hurt.
The company also noted that it has reduced the amount of production work done out of sequence, as well as started conducting random factory quality audits.
Executive Turnover
Boeing installed a new chief executive and replaced other top leaders during the past year. The company has begun issuing notices for some of the roughly 17,000 layoffs implemented as part of a cost-cutting effort.
A Years-Long Run of Issues
Boeing’s run of problems dates back to a pair of crashes of its 737 Max aircrafts that killed a total of 346 people in 2018 and 2019, subsequently blamed on a new anti-stall system. Other issues in recent years included additional quality control troubles, mounting financial losses, and work stoppages.
Increased Oversight ‘Here to Stay’
In a separate statement, the departing head of the Federal Aviation Administration said that the effort to turn Boeing around would be more than a “one-year project” and that increased oversight of the company is “here to stay.” Mike Whitaker added that the company requires a “fundamental” shift in culture that puts “safety and quality above profits.”
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