IATA head confident about Boeing leadership

Singapore — Boeing’s CEO Dave Calhoun is the right person to lead the company out of its latest safety crisis, after a panel blew out of a 737 MAX 9 plane in flight in January, the head of the world’s biggest airline trade body said on Monday.

Boeing has come under fire from regulators, legislators and some airline bosses after the January 5 incident on an Alaska Air flight sparked broader concerns over its manufacturing practices.

International Air Transport Association (IATA) director-general Willie Walsh said that while some in the industry were angry after the blowout, Calhoun and his leadership team had done well to take responsibility and commit to finding solutions.

“Boeing are taking the right measures. I think they’ve responded much, much better to this than other events,” Walsh told Reuters on the sidelines of an industry summit in Singapore.

“I’ve heard people say you need a change in leadership. I disagree ... I’m confident that he (Calhoun) will fix it.”

Walsh said he didn’t expect Boeing’s safety problems to result in airlines ordering fewer of the manufacturer’s planes or prompt passengers to avoid booking tickets with airlines that use the 737 MAX 9 aircraft.

Walsh was speaking a day before the start of the Singapore Airshow, Asia’s largest aviation event, where there is a buzz about the first trip outside Chinese territory for China’s home-grown passenger jet, the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China's narrow-body C919.

The C919, which is only certified in China where four are in operation, staged a fly-by in Singapore on Sunday.

Walsh said he expected the C919 would mostly be used for the large Chinese domestic market and it could take “decades” before China was able to produce a jet capable of competing with Boeing and Airbus on the international stage.

“It’s impressive and it’s going to be interesting to see but I think it will be a bit of time before they can be seen as credible competitors,” he said.

For months, the global aviation industry has been struggling with severe supply chain disruptions, as a post-pandemic travel boom after layoffs and shutdowns due to Covid-19 caused delays to everything from engines to windscreens.

Walsh said the supply chain situation was “unprecedented” but slowly improving.

“It’s better today than it was this time last year, but it’s still a major problem.”

Reuters