Boeing has faced criticism following reports of planes being unfit for flight and federal investigations into safety practices. On Tuesday, June 18, the company faced another moment of criticism as CEO David Calhoun testified before Congress on his company’s plan to fix the problems that have plagued the aero giant.
Before he addressed his critics in the Senate, Calhoun first addressed the families of some of the hundreds of victims who died in a pair of Boeing 737 Max Air Jetliner crashes in 2018 and 2019.
Calhoun apologized to the victims on behalf of “Boeing associates both past and present” and for “the grief that we have caused.”
Calhoun added that the company is “totally committed” to focusing on safety “for as long as we’re employed by Boeing.”
Before Calhoun’s testimony, victims’ families stood outside of Congress, demanding Boeing be held accountable for the 346 deaths as a result of the two Boeing crashes.
Clariss Moore, whose daughter died in the 2019 crash, said that she wanted Boeing to be “held accountable for murdering 346 lives.”
Nadia Milleron, whose daughter was also killed in one of the crashes, said, “The reason that we are still coming out to protest and speak up is because Boeing has not improved its safety.”
Calhoun vowed to improve safety during his remarks to Congress. He called his company “far from perfect” and promised to fix the manufacturing issues plaguing the company.
On May 30, Boeing unveiled a quality improvement plan to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fix “systemic quality-control issues.”
Hours before Calhoun testified, the Senate panel released a report with new allegations from a Boeing whistleblower. The whistleblower claims that the company hid non-conforming parts at a 737-assembly plant in Seattle after the FAA said it would be inspecting the facility.
Senators said that the accusations “paint a troubling picture of a company that prioritizes speed of manufacturing over ensuring the quality and safety of an aircraft.”
Calhoun is the first high-ranking Boeing official to appear before Congress since a panel flew off of an Alaska Airlines flight in January. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said that four key bolts were missing from the planes, which led to the mid-air accident.
