Boeing's goings...

[Airband]

5 hours ago, Seeker said:

Boeing will issue an alert telling crews to be careful with the seat buttons,

From today's WSJ:

'Boeing issued a memo late Thursday to operators of 787 jets recommending that they inspect the cockpit chairs for loose covers on the switches and instructing them how to turn off power to the pilot seat motor if needed. Boeing said it is considering updates to flight crew manuals.

“Closing the spring-loaded seat back switch guard onto a loose/detached rocker switch cap can potentially jam the rocker switch, resulting in unintended seat movement,” according to the memo, which was viewed by The Wall Street Journal.

The memo says this was a known issue and that Boeing had issued a related service notice in 2017. The memo doesn’t indicate whether a loose switch cover played a role in the incident on the Latam flight. The part is on roughly 375 planes, according to a person familiar with the situation.'

 

 

[Kip Powick]

IF.........the cause was the seat switch, it doesn't bode well that the Captain apparently told  the pax that they lost all instrumentation for a brief moment for reasons unknown......unless that can happen if the CC is hit and knocks off the autopilot and the flight instruments go blank for a moment.............anyone ??

((  reported in numerous articles where passngers "quoted " the Captain  ))

[Malcolm]

Why would a pilot comment to a  passenger on their way off the airplane..... cover/cover and at least a breach of company policy after an incident......?

[Kip Powick]

A couple articles allude to the fact that he got on the PA during flight to explain the "mishap" .

[Airband]

'Gauges went blank'

[Seeker]

I have zero confidence in anything a passenger would have to say.  They misunderstand, embellish, seek fame, modify their re-telling to try to set up for compensation, etc, etc.

With that being said it's possible that the pilot may have given a hastily crafted explanation in the heat of the moment hoping to cover for some error.  Probably didn't expect it to go any further than the one dude he told.

These days I pretty much assume that anything I do is being recorded so I either stick to the truth or say nothing at all.

[Malcolm]

Boeing plane found to have missing panel after flight from California to southern Oregon

 

Updated March 15, 2024 7:01 p.m. MDT

Published March 15, 2024 5:35 p.m. MDT

 

PORTLAND, ORE. - 

A post-flight inspection revealed a missing panel on a Boeing 737-800 that had just arrived at its destination in southern Oregon on Friday after flying from San Francisco, officials said, the latest in a series of recent incidents involving aircraft manufactured by the company.

United Flight 433 left San Francisco at 10:20 a.m. and landed at Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport in Medford shortly before noon, according to FlightAware. The airport's director, Amber Judd, said the plane landed safely without incident and the external panel was discovered missing during a post-flight inspection.

•  Read more of the latest international headlines(opens in a new tab)

The airport paused operations to check the runway and airfield for debris, Judd said, and none was found.

Judd said she believed the United ground crew or pilots doing routine inspection before the next flight were the ones who noticed the missing panel.

A United Airlines spokesperson said via email that the flight was carrying 139 passengers and six crew members, and no emergency was declared because there was no indication of the damage during the flight.

"After the aircraft was parked at the gate, it was discovered to be missing an external panel," the United spokesperson said. "We'll conduct a thorough examination of the plane and perform all the needed repairs before it returns to service. We'll also conduct an investigation to better understand how this damage occurred."

The missing panel was on the underside of the aircraft where the wing meets the body and just next to the landing gear, United said.

According to airfleets.net, the plane made its first flight in April 1998 and was delivered to Continental Airlines in December of that year. United Airlines has operated it since Nov. 30, 2011. It is a 737-824, part of the 737-800 series that was a precursor to the Max.

Boeing said, also via email, that it would defer comment to United about the carrier's fleet and operations.

In January a panel that plugged a space left for an extra emergency door blew off a Max 9 jet in midair just minutes after an Alaska Airlines flight took off from Portland, leaving a gaping hole and forcing pilots to make an emergency landing. There were no serious injuries.

The door plug was eventually found in the backyard of a high school physics teacher in southwest Portland, along with other debris from the flight scattered nearby. The U.S. Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation.

On March 6, fumes detected in the cabin of a Boeing 737-800 Alaska Airlines flight destined for Phoenix caused pilots to head back to the Portland airport.

The Port of Portland said passengers and crew noticed the fumes and the flight landed safely. Seven people including passengers and crew requested medical evaluations, but no one was hospitalized, officials said.

[Maverick]

2 hours ago, Malcolm said:

Boeing plane found to have missing panel after flight from California to southern Oregon

 

Updated March 15, 2024 7:01 p.m. MDT

Published March 15, 2024 5:35 p.m. MDT

 

PORTLAND, ORE. - 

A post-flight inspection revealed a missing panel on a Boeing 737-800 that had just arrived at its destination in southern Oregon on Friday after flying from San Francisco, officials said, the latest in a series of recent incidents involving aircraft manufactured by the company.

United Flight 433 left San Francisco at 10:20 a.m. and landed at Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport in Medford shortly before noon, according to FlightAware. The airport's director, Amber Judd, said the plane landed safely without incident and the external panel was discovered missing during a post-flight inspection.

•  Read more of the latest international headlines(opens in a new tab)

The airport paused operations to check the runway and airfield for debris, Judd said, and none was found.

Judd said she believed the United ground crew or pilots doing routine inspection before the next flight were the ones who noticed the missing panel.

A United Airlines spokesperson said via email that the flight was carrying 139 passengers and six crew members, and no emergency was declared because there was no indication of the damage during the flight.

"After the aircraft was parked at the gate, it was discovered to be missing an external panel," the United spokesperson said. "We'll conduct a thorough examination of the plane and perform all the needed repairs before it returns to service. We'll also conduct an investigation to better understand how this damage occurred."

The missing panel was on the underside of the aircraft where the wing meets the body and just next to the landing gear, United said.

According to airfleets.net, the plane made its first flight in April 1998 and was delivered to Continental Airlines in December of that year. United Airlines has operated it since Nov. 30, 2011. It is a 737-824, part of the 737-800 series that was a precursor to the Max.

Boeing said, also via email, that it would defer comment to United about the carrier's fleet and operations.

In January a panel that plugged a space left for an extra emergency door blew off a Max 9 jet in midair just minutes after an Alaska Airlines flight took off from Portland, leaving a gaping hole and forcing pilots to make an emergency landing. There were no serious injuries.

The door plug was eventually found in the backyard of a high school physics teacher in southwest Portland, along with other debris from the flight scattered nearby. The U.S. Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation.

On March 6, fumes detected in the cabin of a Boeing 737-800 Alaska Airlines flight destined for Phoenix caused pilots to head back to the Portland airport.

The Port of Portland said passengers and crew noticed the fumes and the flight landed safely. Seven people including passengers and crew requested medical evaluations, but no one was hospitalized, officials said.

That panel is a fairing that covers the #4 flap track and transmission. It is not removed for any routine maintenance, It is only removed during heavy maintenance visits. It is a composite panel made from a honeycomb material and weighs maybe 5 lbs. There was no risk to the aircraft from this panel's departure.

[conehead]

That’s weird looking damage, ripped and torn like that.

[Maverick]

It is for sure. It's a headscratcher for me how this panel could have come off? It doesn't look like it had been removed recently because the area and the panel would have been cleaned.

[Malcolm]

the picture appears to show older damage and a build up of crud on the bottom edge of the opening to the area , also I  would have expected the largest remaining piece would have been at the rear and not  the front if the loss was due to the air stream

[Seeker]

1 hour ago, Maverick said:

 There was no risk to the aircraft from this panel's departure.

I love these kinds of statements.  I realize what you are saying is; there is no significant aircraft system affected by the loss of this panel.  This is correct.  The problem of course is that the fact this panel departed shows the company failed to detect some underlying problem - much worse, potentially, than the panel that blew off if it means other things might also have undetected problems.

[deicer]

[Malcolm]

Boeing: How much trouble is the company in?

2 days ago

By Theo Leggett,Business correspondent, BBC News

 

"It's as if I'm watching a troubled child" is how Captain Dennis Tajer describes flying a Boeing 737 Max.

The head of the Allied Pilots Association, the pilots union for American Airlines, insists he would never board an aircraft if it were not safe.

But he says he can no longer take the quality of the plane he's flying for granted.

"I'm at an alert status that I've never had to be in on a Boeing airplane," he says.

"Because I don't trust that they've followed the processes that have previously kept me safe on Boeing airplanes for over three decades."

 

Executives at the aerospace giant's shiny new headquarters in Arlington, Virginia could be forgiven for feeling like they are under siege.

Every day seems to bring more bad headlines for the company, which is coming under pressure from regulators and airlines, and has seen its reputation badly damaged.

The trouble began in January, when a disused emergency exit door blew off a brand new Boeing 737 Max shortly after take-off from Portland International Airport.

An initial report from the US National Transportation Safety Board concluded that four bolts meant to attach the door securely to the aircraft had not been fitted.

Boeing is reportedly facing a criminal investigation into the incident itself, as well as legal action from passengers aboard the plane.

But although no-one was seriously hurt, the affair had much wider repercussions. It cast a harsh spotlight on the aerospace giant's corporate culture and attitude to safety.

Every passenger's worst nightmare: the terrifying moment a plane door rips away mid-air.

Five years ago Boeing faced one of the biggest scandals in its history, after two brand new 737 Max planes were lost in almost identical accidents that cost 346 lives.

The cause was flawed flight control software, details of which it was accused of deliberately concealing from regulators.

The company agreed to pay $2.5bn (£1.8bn) to settle fraud charges, and admitted deception, though in later court hearings it formally pleaded not guilty. It subsequently faced widespread accusations that it had put profits ahead of passengers' lives.

It reaffirmed its commitment to safety, and in early 2020 its newly appointed chief executive Dave Calhoun promised it could "do better. Much better."

Yet the scrutiny that followed the incident in January this year has called that commitment into question.

Addressing those concerns, Mr Calhoun said: "We will go slow, we will not rush the system and we will take our time to do it right."

• Boeing's mid-air blowout puts safety record in spotlight again
• Mid-flight blowout a big problem for Boeing

Earlier this month the US regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration, said that a six-week audit of the 737 Max production process at Boeing and its supplier Spirit Aerosystems had found "multiple instances where the companies failed to comply with manufacturing quality control requirements".

 

The findings came shortly after another report into Boeing's safety culture by an expert panel found a "disconnect" between senior management and regular staff, as well as signs that staff were hesitant about reporting problems for fear of retaliation.

Adam Dickson, a former senior manager at Boeing who once worked on the 737 Max programme, agrees there is a gulf between executives and workers on the factory floor.

"The culture at Boeing has been toxic to trust for over a decade now," he says.

"You can add safety steps, you can add procedures. But the fundamental issue of distrust makes those changes almost ineffective", he claims.

Meanwhile, further evidence of how production problems could endanger safety emerged this week.

 

The FAA warned that improperly installed wiring bundles on 737 Max planes could become damaged, leading to controls on the wings deploying unexpectedly, and making the aircraft start to roll.

If not addressed, it said, this "could result in loss of control of the airplane". Hundreds of planes already in service will have to be checked as a result.

Boeing said based on the FAA audit it was continuing "to implement immediate changes and develop a comprehensive action plan to strengthen safety and quality, and build the confidence of our customers and their passengers."

But concerns about Boeing's production standards are far from new.

 

Whistleblower John Barnett, who was found dead last weekend, had worked at Boeing's factory in South Carolina from 2010 until his retirement in 2017.

A quality manager on the 787 Dreamliner programme, he had claimed the rush to build planes as quickly as possible in order to maximise profits had led to unsafe practices.

Among a number of allegations, he told the BBC that in some cases under-pressure workers had deliberately fitted substandard parts to planes on the production line.

Boeing denied his claims. But his untimely death, which occurred between legal hearings in a lawsuit against the company, has focused new attention on them.

The crisis at the aerospace giant is now causing problems for airlines.

 

Ryanair has warned that delays to new aircraft deliveries will push up prices for passengers in Europe this summer. US carrier Southwest plans to cut its capacity this year because it can't get hold of the planes it needs.

Some carriers may try to obtain Airbus models to replace the lost Boeings. But a wholesale transfer of orders from the American manufacturer to the European is simply impractical.

Both have very full order books. Airbus has a backlog of more than 8,000 planes and Boeing more than 6,000.

Airlines are already having to wait longer than they would like for new aircraft. Airbus has had its own supply chain problems, leading to late deliveries.

There is a potential third player. The Chinese manufacturer Comac has developed the C919, a plane designed to compete with the 737 Max and the A320 neo.

But that programme is still in its infancy. By 2028 it will be producing only 150 aircraft a year.

In other words, the market needs Boeing to be healthy, and to overcome its current problems quickly. So can that happen?

According to Ed Pierson, executive director at the Foundation for Aviation Safety, the issues involved are complex, but fixable.

Himself a former Boeing whistleblower, he has spent years lobbying regulators to take a firm approach to the company.

 

"Boeing, their suppliers, airlines, and government agencies are capable of overcoming these challenges, but the first step in fixing these problems is being honest," he says

"They need to admit these problems exist and stop trying to spin the truth. The more they spin, the longer it takes to solve the problems and the greater the risk."

Boeing says that over the last several years, it has "never hesitated to slow down, to halt production, or to stop deliveries to take the time we need to get things right".

It added that it has launched a "Speak Up" programme encouraging staff to raise issues that need to be addressed.

 

[deicer]

There would be a very simple solution for all these problems.

Companies settle for billions without admission of guilt or liability.  It's like it's a cost of doing business.

Close those loop holes and very quickly they will either clean up their act or go out of business.

[Seeker]

2 hours ago, deicer said:

There would be a very simple solution for all these problems.

Companies settle for billions without admission of guilt or liability.  It's like it's a cost of doing business.

Close those loop holes and very quickly they will either clean up their act or go out of business.

Even better - hold the executives criminally responsible.

[Specs]

16 hours ago, deicer said:

There would be a very simple solution for all these problems.

Manufacturers and airlines should be required to make all reports and risk analyses available on the public record within 2 weeks.  Nobody would dare screw around with that kind of scrutiny. Every problem would be addressed thoroughly. 

[Malcolm]

Exclusive-Boeing mulls shedding Airbus work in potential Spirit Aero deal

By Mike Stone, David Carnevali and Allison Lampert

(Reuters) - Boeing is looking at how Spirit AeroSystems could shed or sharply reduce its ties to Airbus, as the supply-chain giant's work for the European planemaker poses complications in rival Boeing's attempt to acquire its former subsidiary.

 

The U.S. planemaker is exploring offloading or redeploying specific Spirit businesses that supply key Airbus components if it reaches a deal, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Boeing and Airbus are the world's only major commercial aircraft makers, and both are trying to solve quality problems and hold down costs as the former deals with a crisis caused by a mid-air cabin panel blowout on a 737 MAX 9 in January.

While Boeing had previously weighed bringing Spirit back in to the fold, the Jan. 5 incident accelerated efforts as Boeing revisits the two-decade-old decision to separate a critical part of its manufacturing business to save money.

Boeing is also fine-tuning a defensive strategy in case European regulators take issue with Airbus relying on its main rival for key components in its supply chain, some of which are custom-made using proprietary design and technology.

 

Related video: Exclusive: FAA administrator says Boeing emphasizes production over safety (NBC News)

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The Airbus business generated a fifth of Spirit Aero's revenue in 2023, making it sizeable enough to factor in to a potential deal, though Boeing could complete a Spirit purchase without a sale of those businesses.

However, Boeing does not want to own Spirit Aero's Airbus business, which includes wing-making for the small A220 jet in Belfast, Northern Ireland that loses money, the sources said.

The four sources requested anonymity because the deliberations are confidential.

Spirit, which has a market value of close to $3.8 billion, has already held exploratory talks with Airbus about selling the plant, Reuters reported this month.

It is unclear how receptive Airbus might be to taking over Spirit operations. While its options to block a sale of Spirit to Boeing outright are limited, Airbus has significant lobbying power with European governments and could try to force Boeing to buy its way out of Spirit's Airbus contracts, the sources said.

 

"There are very active conversations but no clear road map," one of the sources said, adding that Airbus was studying all options.

Airbus and Boeing both declined comment.

Boeing has also been looking at whether other companies may be interested in Spirit's Airbus business, the sources said. It was not immediately clear if any interested party has emerged.

Spirit Aero spokesman Joe Buccino said the company is committed to acting in the best interests of customers, employees and shareholders. "As commercial negotiations with Airbus continue, many options remain viable," Buccino said, without elaborating.

PRODUCTION ISSUES

Boeing would gain more control of its production by buying back Spirit, but could have to pay large sums to buy its way out of contracts.

Spirit makes a key fuselage section and wing spars for the Airbus A350 wide-body jet at its Kinston plant in North Carolina, and wing parts for Airbus at Prestwick in Scotland.

 

"The Airbus A350 composite technology is sensitive because Airbus wouldn't want a rival in charge of important pieces in their production," aerospace analyst Richard Aboulafia said.

Spirit's backlog at the end of the fourth quarter of 2023 was approximately $49 billion, which includes work packages on all commercial platforms in the Airbus and Boeing backlog.

According to its latest annual report, 19% of Spirit Aero's revenue derives from Airbus projects, up from 10% in 2013.

Spirit also has been trying to secure better prices from Airbus, at a time when the European planemaker is looking for some supplier price cuts.

Without better prices, Spirit could lose more than $400 million annually while supplying Airbus with parts for its A220 and A350 aircraft in the coming years, TD Cowen analysts said.

"We don't see a Boeing-Spirit deal until Spirit's pricingissue on the A220 has been sorted out and there is clarity on what happens to the rest of the Airbus work," they wrote earlier this month.

(Reporting by David Carnevali in New York, Mike Stone in Washington, Allison Lampert in Montreal and Tim Hepher in Paris; Editing by Greg Roumeliotis, David Gaffen and Matthew Lewis

[deicer]

[deicer]

17 hours ago, Malcolm said:

Exclusive-Boeing mulls shedding Airbus work in potential Spirit Aero deal

By Mike Stone, David Carnevali and Allison Lampert

(Reuters) - Boeing is looking at how Spirit AeroSystems could shed or sharply reduce its ties to Airbus, as the supply-chain giant's work for the European planemaker poses complications in rival Boeing's attempt to acquire its former subsidiary.

 

The U.S. planemaker is exploring offloading or redeploying specific Spirit businesses that supply key Airbus components if it reaches a deal, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Boeing and Airbus are the world's only major commercial aircraft makers, and both are trying to solve quality problems and hold down costs as the former deals with a crisis caused by a mid-air cabin panel blowout on a 737 MAX 9 in January.

While Boeing had previously weighed bringing Spirit back in to the fold, the Jan. 5 incident accelerated efforts as Boeing revisits the two-decade-old decision to separate a critical part of its manufacturing business to save money.

Boeing is also fine-tuning a defensive strategy in case European regulators take issue with Airbus relying on its main rival for key components in its supply chain, some of which are custom-made using proprietary design and technology.

 

Related video: Exclusive: FAA administrator says Boeing emphasizes production over safety (NBC News)

It's been two months since a door plug blew out

Loaded: 5.98%

 

 

Play

Current Time 0:00

/

Duration 3:20

 

Quality Settings

Captions

Fullscreen

 

NBC News

Exclusive: FAA administrator says Boeing emphasizes production over safety

Unmute

0

 

View on Watch

 

The Airbus business generated a fifth of Spirit Aero's revenue in 2023, making it sizeable enough to factor in to a potential deal, though Boeing could complete a Spirit purchase without a sale of those businesses.

However, Boeing does not want to own Spirit Aero's Airbus business, which includes wing-making for the small A220 jet in Belfast, Northern Ireland that loses money, the sources said.

The four sources requested anonymity because the deliberations are confidential.

Spirit, which has a market value of close to $3.8 billion, has already held exploratory talks with Airbus about selling the plant, Reuters reported this month.

It is unclear how receptive Airbus might be to taking over Spirit operations. While its options to block a sale of Spirit to Boeing outright are limited, Airbus has significant lobbying power with European governments and could try to force Boeing to buy its way out of Spirit's Airbus contracts, the sources said.

 

"There are very active conversations but no clear road map," one of the sources said, adding that Airbus was studying all options.

Airbus and Boeing both declined comment.

Boeing has also been looking at whether other companies may be interested in Spirit's Airbus business, the sources said. It was not immediately clear if any interested party has emerged.

Spirit Aero spokesman Joe Buccino said the company is committed to acting in the best interests of customers, employees and shareholders. "As commercial negotiations with Airbus continue, many options remain viable," Buccino said, without elaborating.

PRODUCTION ISSUES

Boeing would gain more control of its production by buying back Spirit, but could have to pay large sums to buy its way out of contracts.

Spirit makes a key fuselage section and wing spars for the Airbus A350 wide-body jet at its Kinston plant in North Carolina, and wing parts for Airbus at Prestwick in Scotland.

 

"The Airbus A350 composite technology is sensitive because Airbus wouldn't want a rival in charge of important pieces in their production," aerospace analyst Richard Aboulafia said.

Spirit's backlog at the end of the fourth quarter of 2023 was approximately $49 billion, which includes work packages on all commercial platforms in the Airbus and Boeing backlog.

According to its latest annual report, 19% of Spirit Aero's revenue derives from Airbus projects, up from 10% in 2013.

Spirit also has been trying to secure better prices from Airbus, at a time when the European planemaker is looking for some supplier price cuts.

Without better prices, Spirit could lose more than $400 million annually while supplying Airbus with parts for its A220 and A350 aircraft in the coming years, TD Cowen analysts said.

"We don't see a Boeing-Spirit deal until Spirit's pricingissue on the A220 has been sorted out and there is clarity on what happens to the rest of the Airbus work," they wrote earlier this month.

(Reporting by David Carnevali in New York, Mike Stone in Washington, Allison Lampert in Montreal and Tim Hepher in Paris; Editing by Greg Roumeliotis, David Gaffen and Matthew Lewis

If Airbus frames are made by the same people who make Boeing frames...

Does this mean that the problem lies in the inspection processes at the final assembly?

[deicer]

https://www.kcra.com/article/fbi-letter-to-alaska-airlines-passengers/60276847

FBI says passengers on Alaska Airlines flight that suffered midair blowout may be ‘victim of a crime’

Passengers on board the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 that suffered a terrifying midair blowout in January have received a letter from the FBI saying they may be victims “of a crime.”

Attorney Mark Lindquist, who represents multiple passengers that were on Alaska Airlines flight 1282, shared with CNN the letter that the FBI office in Seattle sent to passengers on Tuesday.

[deicer]

[Maverick]

Airline CEOs Demand Meeting With Boeing Board Of Directors Without CEO David Calhoun

BYANDREW CRIDER

PUBLISHED 2 DAYS AGO

 

It's unclear when the meeting will take place.

 

Photo: Marco Menezes | Shutterstock

SUMMARY

•  Boeing's board to meet with airline CEOs without CEO Calhoun present amid industry concerns.
•  US carriers like Southwest and United facing issues with Boeing aircraft, impacting operations.
•  Boeing facing pressure from international customers like Copa Airlines seeking compensation.

Boeing’s board of directors has apparently agreed to meet with major airline CEOs without the presence of its CEO, David Calhoun, as reported by Fox News and the Wall Street Journal earlier today. The meeting would be the latest confrontation between business executives and aviation industry leaders that Boeing has faced after the failure of a door plug on the now infamous January 5th Alaska Airlines 1282 flight.

It’s unclear which airlines will be involved in the meeting. Boeing itself declined to comment. US Airlines represents some of the largest customers of Boeing aircraft, with American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines ranked as the top 3 largest airlines in the world for their fleet size.

Months of pain for US carriers

Beyond the big three American carriers, Southwest Airlines, which is the 4th biggest airline in the world by its fleet size, has adjusted its revenue projections and limited the growth of its flight schedule due to problems with the American plane manufacturer.

United Airlines, for its part, has suffered a number of high-profile issues with some of its Boeing-manufactured aircraft. Where these maintenance issues have been normal for airline operations, coverage of these events has increased. The airline sighted delays with Boeing’s 737 MAX 10, and other problems with Boeing aircraft when the airline recently suspended pilot hiring.

 

Photo: Angel DiBilio | Shutterstock

The meeting could take place as early as next week. The meeting follows David Calhoun's visit to the US Capital to discuss privately with members of US Congress and their staff as an alternative to a formal meeting. Calhoun and leaders with Boeing had also met with leadership of the Federal Aviation Administration both at the regulator’s DC headquarters and at Boeing facilities in Seattle, Washington.

All of these meetings took place as the plane maker drew increased government criticism, with the Chairwoman of the NTSB going to the press to say that Boeing was stonewalling its investigation of Alaska Airlines flight 1282.

 

International problems

Beyond the domestic troubles for the US plane manufacturer, it has also faced increased pressure from its International customers. Copa Airlines, the largest 737 MAX operator in Latin America, grounded 20% of its daily flight schedule while grounding the 737 MAX 9 aircraft type. The airline said it would seek compensation from Boeing to compensate for its losses.

More recently, Ryanair's famously eccentric CEO said that he would like the airline to have a bigger number of Airbus aircraft. Ryanair, like Southwest and Copa Airlines, has maintained a 737-only fleet.

 

Photo: Bradley Caslin | Shutterstock

Boeing’s airline pressure isn't limited to the 737 MAX 9. The manufacturer has also faced delays around the certification of its 737 MAX 10 and is expecting increased delays on the certification of its delayed 777X program. These delays in certification are paired with increasingly poor deliveries, as the plane maker has increasingly slowed the production schedule, and regulators have suggested that it had sacrificed safety to accelerate in the first place.

Tim Clark, the president of Emirates, a significant customer of the 777X, said that the widebody program could be delayed into 2026. While words from Tim Clark have always generated headlines in the airline industry, the 777X itself was delayed largely in 2022, when Boeing had halted production in response to the original 737 MAX 8 crisis. The aircraft was originally expected to be introduced in 2020.

 

Airline CEOs Demand Meeting With Boeing Board Of Directors Without CEO David Calhoun (simpleflying.com)

[W5]

As critics trash Boeing, the outspoken CEO of Ryanair emerges as an unlikely defender

https://fortune.com/2024/03/23/ryanair-ceo-michael-oleary-boeing-crash-defense/

 

You’d think that the world’s most voluble, outrageous airline CEO, and a big Boeing customer, might be launching the most lacerating barbs at the troubled manufacturer. But not so. Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary, the figure usually likeliest to trash regulators, rivals, politicians, suppliers or anyone else he views as screwing up, is displaying robust support for the troubled manufacturer.

 

For all of his over-the-top rhetoric, O’Leary merits great credibility as the most successful airline chief in Europe. He’s built Ryanair from a tiny challenger to the flag carriers pioneering the never-before-seen category of budget air travel when he took the joystick in 1994 into the region’s largest player, measured by passengers flown. This year, Ryanair expects to transport 183 million people on 1.3 million flights to 235 destinations. That’s aboard around 600 planes, and 95% of them are Boeing. That roster stands in stark contrast to the Airbus-dominated lineups at his rivals Air France, Lufthansa and British Airways. O’Leary’s now the longest-serving CEO of all the world’s major airlines.

A major reason O’Leary’s such a fan: He’s the prime customer for the 737-8-200, a higher-density version of the 737-8 that he claims allows Ryanair to carry more people at lower cost per passenger than than its rivals, who primarily fly slightly lower-seat-count Airbus models on similar routes.  In fact, Boeing developed the 8-200 specifically for Ryanair’s business model. O’Leary labels it “the Gamechanger.”

In recent weeks, O’Leary’s been steadfast in stating that Boeing’s en route to solving its safety weaknesses, praising the general quality of its aircraft, leaving no doubt he’ll honor all his orders and in all probability, exercise his options, and showing confidence Calhoun and top management. He’s still pointed, though less brutal than usual, in prescribing what Boeing must do to regain its one-time status as an exemplar of defect-spotting safeguards on the assembly line. In a March 21 release, O’Leary declared that “Boeing continues to have our wholehearted support as they work through these temporary challenges. But there’s no doubt in our mind that on the shop floor the systems and quality control in Seattle need to be improved.” In the meantime, according to reporting in the Wall Street Journal, other heads of big Boeing airline customers are demanding meetings with Boeing board directions—presumably to voice their frustrations sans Calhoun.

O’Leary bashes the European pols’ cheerleading over Boeing’s stumbles

 

O’Leary’s reserving his most potent broadsides for the European statesmen crowing on how Boeing’s decline is boosting the fortunes of the European champion, Airbus. At a Berlin conference of European leaders in late March, French finance minister Bruno Le Maire asserted, “I’d rather fly Airbus than Boeing. My family too. They care about me.” From an airline colloquy in Brussels, O’Leary fired back, telling Politico, “Some stupid French politician is going, my family don’t feel safe on a 737. Well, tell him to try flying on an Airbus with a problem with the engine that hasn’t been repaired.” That’s a reference to the defects in Pratt & Whitney engines that have grounded hundreds of Airbus planes across Europe.

The Irish firebrand took particular umbrage that a Frenchman would claim he fears for his life aboard a 737 when the aircraft’s been a huge hit with his fellow countrymen, and transporting them safely for years. “This summer, millions of French citizens and visitors will fly from France on Ryanair 737s. We’re based in Marseilles, in Toulouse, in Bordeaux, in Paris at Beauvais, all of which operate the 737,” O’Leary riposted, adding that “We live in a world where we encourage free speech and Donald Trump is talking rubbish and so is Bruno Le Maire.”

 

O’Leary’s vision for Ryan Air

In 2009 while reporting a piece on the Irish economy, I interviewed O’Leary at his office, situated in what appeared to be a dumpy, converted hangar at Dublin Airport. He appeared in his charactertic uniform of jeans, an open-necked white shirt, his glasses parked high on his forehead. His office digs looked more appropriate to employee charged with finding lost bags than a CEO. We went downstairs to an employee lounge where O’Leary got a vending-machine espresso bought with a euro bummed from a flight attendant. At ease amidst the bruised plastic furniture and polyester carpeting, O’Leary declared, “We’ll mop the floor with every airline in Europe!” On the wall hung a calendar titled “Girls of Ryanair,” each month’s page displaying a flight attendant posing in a bikini. “They actually do work here!” O’Leary assured me. He was appalled that “woke” critics wanted to nix the displays, which Ryanair sold to raise money for charity. He lost out. “Girls of Ryanair” made its parting appearance in 2013.

O’Leary met Tony Ryan, who founded Ryanair in 1984, while working as the future billionaire’s tax accountant. This writer had dinner at a restaurant in Las Vegas with Tony Ryan in 2006, a year before he died, along with a Ryanair director. The quiet, softspoken Ryan appeared the antithesis of his volcanic protégé. That evening, Ryan spoke about the fantastic job O’Leary had done in saving his creation from bankruptcy upon ascending to CEO, and how his confidence in O’Leary allowed him the luxury of indulging his love for breeding racehorses at his multiple equestrian enclaves from the U.S. to France to Ireland, A few days later, I received a photo book in the mail from Ryan depicting these opulent, scenic properties. O’Leary’s lifestyle echoes the rural aristocratic bent of his predecessor. The CEO lives on an 1,000 acre farm, and shares Ryan’s passion, reportedly spending millions of euros a year on purchasing thoroughbreds.

Daft-sounding ideas and sayings are O’Leary’s trademark. He once claimed to consider putting coin slots on Ryanair toilet doors in a “pay to pee” initiative. On the frugality of one nation’s air travelers, he opines, “Germans will crawl bollock-naked over broken glass to get low fares!” O’Leary, who rivals Bono for celebrity status in Ireland, thinks he’s more deserving of the honor for which the rock star was famously nominated, but didn’t win. “Screw Bono,” O’Leary once said, “I should get the Nobel Prize.” How does O’Leary get away with zany eruptions that make even “Captain Outrageous” Ted Turner look mild? By delivering big time for shareholders in what’s been a mainly unprofitable industry, and laughing at his own wacky persona. “I’m Irish so I was born with bullshit on tap,” admits O’Leary.”We can’t help ourselves!”

O’Leary’s critique of Boeing and its management

 

Still, O’Leary stresses that the setbacks in deliveries will strain Ryanair’s operations, and also prove a burden to customers. He expects that that Boeing will ship only 40 of the 57, 197-seat 737-8-200 “gamechangers” due by the close of 2024. The delays will make Ryanair short by ten planes, or around 2% of last year’s fleet, during the peak summer travel season. As a consequence, Ryanair will reduce frequencies on its existing routes, but won’t discontinue those where it’s recently launched new service. The grounding of what he predicts as around 20% of the competing Airbus fleet resulting from engine problems will further curb capacity across Europe. The aircraft shortages, O’Leary forecasts, will drive Ryanair to lift ticket prices around 10% above what it was charging last summer.

Also on offer are recommendations on what type of leaders should be running Boeing, and its recent miscues in emphasizing the wrong roles and maybe miscasting top managers. On the one hand, O’Leary praises Calhoun and CFO Brian West as “a good team who are the right track.” But he’s critical that the plane-maker named a new chief of the 737 program, but assigned oversight of the sector’s safety to another manager. “Why isn’t the person in charge of 737 in charge of safety as well?” he asked in an interview on the Skift site. “Boeing likes to talk corporate bullshit that they have a leadership team of 3,500 people but that’s a committee designing a **bleep** camel.”

Most of all, O’Leary rightly worries that the top airline brass don’t have their hands on the levers and valves that power the factory floor. Asked in the Skift interview what he thought of Stan Deal, head of the commercial airline business, O’Leary said that Deal is “a very good sales guy” but that “what Boeing needs isn’t necessarily a good sales guy. They need someone who’d going to sit there on a daily basis and do the grind. What’s the delay? What’s the problem, and fixing the supply chain.” For O’Leary the systems and quality control on the factory floor need a big improvement, and “Boeing needs leadership, he needs to sit in Seattle on a daily basis and [focus on] producing aircraft. They don’t need sales. They’re fully sold out until 2030 anyway.”

Wise words. O’Leary knows Boeing got in the mess by not heeding the warnings and seeking insights from the folks who fasten the bolts and attach the panels on these fabulous flying machines. Boeing needs top management that’s steeped in, and obsessed by, every detail in the production process, not the big picture, profit-driven brass that let Boeing stray from its roots in quality and engineering. And no ones sees that landing field more clearly than Michael O’Leary, Boeing’s disappointed customer, but still true believer.

 

 

[J.O.]

Interesting. The success of Ryanair's operation relies heavily on those extra few seats vs. what his competitors are operating - meaning O'Leary needs Boeing every bit as much as they need him. Boeing and Ryanair share many things in common - but Ryanair has done a much better job of correcting their problems. If he really wants to share some lessons learned, he should be honest and tell them that he learned there's a limit to "low costing" your business into profitability when it comes to safety. It's not so long ago that Ryanair was dodging serious bullets every few days while experiencing dozens of incidents that were easily prevented with better personnel selection, training and procedures. Ryanair made those investments and the truth is we don't hear about their close calls nearly as often now because they simply aren't having them.