Boeing’s outgoing CEO, Dave Calhoun, is scheduled to appear before the United States Senate on June 18 to address whistleblowers’ allegations of safety lapses at the aviation giant. This comes after four whistleblowers testified in April about serious production issues with the 737 MAX, 787 Dreamliner, and 777 aircraft.
Senator Richard Blumenthal, chair of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, emphasized the importance of Calhoun’s testimony as a critical step in addressing Boeing’s failures and restoring public trust. “Five years ago, Boeing pledged to overhaul its safety practices and culture. That promise has proven empty, and the American people deserve an explanation,” Blumenthal stated on Wednesday.
He criticized Boeing’s prioritization of profits over safety, stock prices over quality, and production speed over responsibility, leading to the company’s current predicament. “Years of neglecting safety for financial gain has brought Boeing to this moment of reckoning, and its hollow promises can no longer stand,” Blumenthal added.
In response, Boeing expressed its willingness to discuss the measures it has implemented and plans to further enhance safety and quality. “We are committed to fostering a culture of accountability and transparency while upholding the highest standards of safety and quality,” a company spokesperson said.
Boeing has faced intense scrutiny since a near-disaster in January, when an Alaska Airlines-operated 737 MAX lost part of its fuselage mid-flight, raising renewed concerns about the company’s safety standards. These concerns followed two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 involving the 737 MAX, which resulted in 346 deaths.
Last month, the US Justice Department accused Boeing of failing to comply with a 2021 agreement that protected the company from criminal prosecution over the 737 MAX crashes. Boeing, which is also under criminal investigation for January’s incident, maintains that it has adhered to the terms of the deferred prosecution agreement.
Calhoun, who became CEO in 2020, announced his resignation in March as part of a broad management overhaul at Boeing.
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