Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun blasted in US Senate hearing while apologizing for safety woes

During a contentious Senate hearing, Boeing CEO David Calhoun defended the company’s safety record. Lawmakers accused him of prioritizing profits over safety and neglecting whistleblower protection, and criticized his compensation.

Relatives of those who perished in two Boeing 737 Max crashes, some holding photos of their loved ones, were present. Calhoun, standing to face them, apologized for the grief caused and pledged a renewed focus on safety in his remarks. This solemn moment underscored the human impact of Boeing’s safety lapses and the CEO’s commitment to addressing them.

Calhoun’s appearance was the first before Congress by any high-ranking Boeing official since a panel blew out of a 737 Max during an Alaska Airlines flight in January. No one was seriously injured in the incident, but it raised fresh concerns about the company’s best-selling commercial aircraft.

The tone of the hearing before the Senate investigations subcommittee was set hours earlier, when the panel released a 204-page report with new allegations from a whistleblower who said he worries that defective parts could be going into 737s. The whistleblower is the latest in a string of current and former Boeing employees to raise concerns about the company’s manufacturing processes, which federal officials are investigating.

“This hearing is a moment of reckoning,” the subcommittee chairman, Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said. “It’s about a company, a once iconic company, that somehow lost its way.”

Moreover, the Boeing CEO hearing highlighted ongoing challenges for Boeing in rebuilding trust with regulators, customers, and the public. The scrutiny and criticism during the hearing underscored the imperative for continuous improvement and adherence to stringent safety protocols.
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