United States: The outgoing CEO of Boeing will be appearing in the US Senate on whistleblowers’ allegations of safety violations at the massive aeroplane manufacturer.
The scheduled June 18 appearance by CEO Dave Calhoun follows allegations made in April before a Senate hearing by four whistleblowers that there were significant issues with the manufacturing of the 737 MAX, 787 Dreamliner, and 777 aircraft.
The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations’ chairman, Senator Richard Blumenthal, stated that Calhoun’s testimony would be a “necessary step” in resolving Boeing’s shortcomings and winning back the public’s confidence.
“Five years ago, Boeing made a promise to overhaul its safety practices and culture. That promise proved empty, and the American people deserve an explanation,” Blumenthal said in a statement on Wednesday.
“Years of putting profits ahead of safety, stock price ahead of quality, and production speed ahead of responsibility has brought Boeing to this moment of reckoning, and its hollow promises can no longer stand,” the senator added.
Following a near-disaster in January when an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX lost part of its fuselage mid-flight, Boeing has come under heavy criticism.
Concerns regarding Boeing’s safety standards were rekindled by the incident, which came to light after two deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019 claimed 346 lives.
Last month, the US Justice Department charged Boeing with violating a 2021 deal that shielded the manufacturer of airplanes from prosecution for the 737 MAX crashes.
In response to the airborne blowout in January, Boeing, which is also under criminal investigation, has stated that it thinks it fulfilled its half of the deferred prosecution agreement.
Calhoun, who was appointed CEO in 2020, made his resignation from the company known in March as part of a significant reorganization of the management team.
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