On Monday morning, Boeing announced the firing of the company’s CEO. To replace Muilenburg, Boeing named David Calhoun. Calhoun is currently the chairman of Boeing’s board of directors. Chief Financial Officer Greg Smith will serve as the company’s interim CEO until Calhoun takes on the role on January 13th.
“I strongly believe in the future of Boeing and the 737 MAX. I am honored to lead this great company and the 150,000 dedicated employees who are working hard to create the future of aviation,” Calhoun said in a statement.
In a statement, Boeing said the company “will operate with a renewed commitment to full transparency, including effective and proactive communication with the FAA, other global regulators and its customers.”
“The Board determined that a change in leadership was necessary to restore confidence in the company moving forward and that we will proceed with a renewed commitment to full transparency, including effective and proactive communications with the FAA, other global regulators, and our customers,” Smith said in a note to employees.
“Over the next few weeks as we transition to new leadership, I am committed to ensuring above all that we meet the needs of our stakeholders – especially our regulators, customers, and employees – with transparency and humility,” Smith added.
Muilenburg’s firing takes place only a few days after the Boeing Starliner’s failed mission to the International Space Sation. The spacecraft aborted the mission after an “automation” error causing the Starliner to not reach the correct orbit, according to NASA officials. NASA officials added the uncrewed spacecraft believed the time was “different than it actually was.”
But, Starliner is only one of a series of missteps for the company. Boeing revealed they were suspending the production of 737 Max jets, which have been grounded since March 2019 following two deadly crashes, which killed nearly 346 people. The company admitted their automatic flight control system played a part in the fatal 737 Max Jets crashes.