The American aircraft manufacturer Boeing, in turmoil after several safety problems on its planes, announced Monday the departure at the end of the year of its boss Dave Calhoun, as well as that of other managers.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun will remain in this position until the end of 2024, the company said in a statement.
Stan Deal, director of the commercial aviation division, is replaced with immediate effect by Stephanie Pope, the group’s current operating director.
Board Chairman Larry Kellner further “informed the board that he does not plan to seek re-election in the next election” during the annual general meeting of shareholders, according to the press release. He had held this position since the end of 2019.
The board of directors chose Steve Mollenkopf, a member of Boeing’s executive board and former boss of chipmaker Qualcomm, to succeed him. In this capacity, Steve Mollenkopf will be responsible for finding a new CEO for Boeing.
“Serving Boeing has been the greatest privilege of my life,” Dave Calhoun said in a letter to Boeing employees. “The eyes of the world are on us and I know we will come out better as a company,” he added.
Around 12:45 p.m., in electronic trading before the opening of the New York Stock Exchange, the aircraft manufacturer’s stock climbed 3.4% to $195.25.
The American aircraft manufacturer has been in the midst of a crisis since an accident in early January on a 737 MAX 9 operated by Alaska Airlines, in which a door separated from the cabin in mid-flight.
Among other consequences, the United States Civil Aviation Agency (FAA) launched an audit of the manufacturer’s quality control. At the beginning of March, it indicated that “non-compliance problems” had been identified in the production control of Boeing and its subcontractor Spirit Aerosystems.
In addition to the incident on board the Alaska Airlines flight, production issues have been reported throughout 2023 as well as a series of other incidents in 2024.