Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun admits company made mistakes

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun addressed employees on Tuesday, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging the company’s mistakes amid increased scrutiny on the safety of its 737 Max. Speaking at a 737 Max factory in Washington, Calhoun stated, “We’re going to approach this by first acknowledging our mistake,” as reported by various media outlets, including CNN and Bloomberg. He pledged to handle the situation with complete transparency throughout the entire process.

According to Bloomberg, Calhoun, visibly emotional, spoke about Boeing’s latest controversy. Following an incident where a fuselage section of a 737 Max 9 operated by Alaska Airlines was blown off mid-flight, US authorities have grounded at least 171 of Boeing’s 737 Max aircraft. The incident occurred shortly after takeoff on Friday as the plane departed from Portland, Oregon, en route to California.

The incident on Friday resulted in no fatalities or serious injuries, but it has heightened concerns about the safety of the 737 Max. The aircraft model’s reputation was already under scrutiny following two crashes involving 737 Max 8s in 2018 and 2019, leading to the tragic deaths of hundreds of passengers.

In response to the scandal, Calhoun convened an all-hands meeting, expressing a personal commitment to addressing potential safety lapses. According to CNN, he emphasized the significance of taking the safety concerns seriously.