Boeing CEO admits ‘serious missteps in recent years’

Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg is set to appear before a Senate committee on Wednesday to testify about how the plane maker will improve safety standards after several serious incidents in recent years, including a 2024 midair door plug blowout.

Reuters reported it has seen a copy of Ortberg’s prepared testimony to the Senate Commerce Committee, in which he addresses Boeing’s quality and safety culture.

“Boeing has made serious missteps in recent years – and it is unacceptable,” Ortberg will testify. “In response, we have made sweeping changes to the people, processes, and overall structure of our company.” 

In January 2024, a new Boeing 737 MAX 9 door plug blew out midair during an Alaska Airlines flight after the aircraft left a Boeing facility without key bolts installed.

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Following the 2024 midair blowout, the Federal Aviation Administration capped Boeing’s production of the 737 MAX at 38 per month.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Boeing lost the trust of the American people after the door plug incident and two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019. The two crashes killed 346 people.

In July, Boeing agreed to plead guilty to a criminal fraud conspiracy charge after the two fatal 737 MAX crashes and to pay a fine of up to $487.2 million. U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor has set a June 23 trial date in the Justice Department’s criminal fraud case against the plane maker.

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Ortberg stepped in as CEO in August 2024. His predecessor, Dave Calhoun, announced he would resign after the door panel blowout.

With questions swirling over the quality and safety of Boeing’s aircraft, the plane maker caught a break earlier this month after the U.S. Air Force selected the aerospace giant to build and deliver its next suite of fighter jets, beating out other top aerospace companies, namely Lockheed Martin.

Fox Business’ Suzanne O’Halloran contributed to this report.