Boeing has made significant strides in improving safety for airline passengers, nearly a year after a door plug blew off an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 aircraft. The company has focused on four key areas of improvement: elevating its safety and quality culture, investing in workforce training, simplifying manufacturing processes, and eliminating defects.
Boeing has addressed over 70% of commercial airplane production “action items” based on employee feedback during its “quality stand down” sessions. The company has also invested in a new “move ready” criteria across its final assembly line to mitigate risks and added mandatory product safety and quality training for all employees.
The move comes after several high-profile safety incidents, including two crashes of Boeing 737 Max jets that killed everyone on board. However, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has grounded various versions of Boeing’s planes due to potential safety issues over the past few years.
Outgoing FAA chief Mike Whitaker said in a blog post that Boeing needs long-term fixes, emphasizing the need for a fundamental cultural shift around safety and quality above profits. Despite this, analyst George Ferguson believes that the company’s reputation will not be significantly impacted in the short term but notes that there is still hesitancy surrounding Boeing planes.
Ferguson said, “The Boeing name has been muddied a bit,” adding that “their concern rises when it’s a Boeing airplane.” However, he expects the story for 2025 to focus on getting quality under control.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/03/business/boeing-737-max-safety/index.html