Boeing’s new chief will seek to restore confidence in the company

“We clearly still have a lot of work to do, but I am confident that by working together we will return the company to the leadership position it was intended to be,” Ortberg, 64, said in a message to employees released by the group.

This is the first statement since his appointment was announced on July 31 to replace Dave Calhoun, Boeing’s No. 1 since January 2020. Calhoun will continue to serve as a special adviser to the board until his retirement in March 2025.

The main challenge facing Boeing’s new CEO will be to restore production quality at the Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) division.

“There are people whose lives depend on what we do every day, and we have to keep that in mind in all our decisions,” added the manufacturer’s new head, an engineer by training and former No. 1 at Rockwell Collins (now Collins Aerospace, an RTX subsidiary).

He also confirmed that it will be installed in the group’s hometown of Seattle (northwest) “to be closer to production lines and development projects.”

Ortberg joins Boeing as the plane maker tries to recover from a series of safety and quality control problems and production slowdowns.

Boeing reported second-quarter results in late July that were well below analysts’ expectations, with a net loss of $1.44 billion due to a drop in commercial aircraft deliveries. Revenue fell 14.6% to $16.9 billion.

been: Boeing admits to criminal conspiracy after 737 MAX crashes

Boeing came under scrutiny from U.S. authorities in January after a 737 MAX aircraft operated by Alaska Airlines had to make an emergency landing after a fuselage panel separated in flight.

The incident drew outrage from the U.S. Congress and concerns from customers.

Boeing agreed to admit to fraud in the MAX model certification as part of a deal with the Justice Department after two crashes in 2018 and 2019 killed 346 people, authorities reported July 24.