Proactive Investors - Boeing Co (NYSE:BA, ETR:BCO) CEO Dave Calhoun has said he will leave at the end of the year as the aircraft maker continues to suffer the fallout from a recent surge in safety concerns.
Chairman Larry Kellner also resigned and will not stand for re-election, while Stan Deal, the group’s head of commercial aeroplanes, will leave effective immediately.
Steve Mollenkopf, a Boeing director since 2020, will replace Kellner as chairman and will lead the company’s search for a new boss.
Boeing’s chief operating officer Stephanie Pope will replace Deal as CEO and president of the group’s commercial aeroplane division.
It comes as the airline industry and regulators continue to pile on the pressure for change at Boeing after several safety and manufacturing issues this year affected flights.
In January, these issues were brought to the forefront after an Alaska Airlines flight using a new Boeing 737 Max suffered a blown-out panel mid-flight.
Calhoun said to employees: “As you all know, the Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 accident was a watershed moment for Boeing.
“We must continue to respond to this accident with humility and complete transparency. We also must inculcate a total commitment to safety and quality at every level of our company.
“The eyes of the world are on us, and I know we will come through this moment a better company, building on all the learnings we accumulated as we worked together to rebuild Boeing over the last number of years.”
Shares of Boeing had risen around 1.3% by midmorning in New York.