Feds Aren’t Shy About Wanting Safety Improvements

The new Boeing CEO, Kelly Ortberg, recently sat down with Federal Aviation Administration leadership to discuss quality improvement efforts. This follows an extensive chain of safety hazards and labor negotiations.

Ortberg took over the company on August 8 and immediately began making changes. He relocated his office to Boeing’s Seattle location, which was used for 85 years until the Chicago Headquarters were built. This was “to get closer to the production lines and development programs across the company,” Ortberg commented.

Though Ortberg has not been in the role long enough to create significant improvement, long-term Boeing critics seem to be satisfied with his work so far. Richard Aboulafia, managing director at AeroDynamic Advisory, expressed that Ortberg “continues to look like the exact opposite kind of leader than the ones that plagued Boeing.”

Ortberg’s recent chat with the FAA gave him the chance to explain the company's safety improvement plan. He also met with Pentagon officials and hosted his first board meeting as Boeing CEO.

The latest Boeing and FAA relationship has been rocky, to say the least. In January, FAA administrator Mike Whitaker wedged Boeing from increasing production of its 737 MAX after a door panel blew out mid-flight. He took this incident as a sign to take a more hands-on role with oversight of the company moving forward.

The FAA plans to visit the company again later this month to further discuss quality changes. Whitaker has clarified that they will continue to expand their on-site presence for as long as it's needed.

Ortberg told the FAA that he wants the company to "focus on true culture change, empowering employees to speak up when they see potential issues and bringing the right resources together to solve them."

With much of their quality reputation already having been lost, Ortberg will have plenty of work to do to restore Boeing’s position in the industry.

FMI: www.boeing.com, www.faa.gov