Beijing/San Francisco, August 22 (Xinhua) -- Boeing received two more pieces of bad news on the 19th: three of its 787 aircraft were required by the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States to undergo inspections by global airlines due to major safety hazards, and the 777-9X aircraft suspended test flights due to body component failures.
Since the beginning of this year, Boeing has experienced frequent safety accidents, which have repeatedly damaged its reputation and marketing performance. In the aviation industry, incidents such as sudden diving and door stopper detachment of Boeing aircraft continue to escalate; Two American astronauts boarded a Boeing "Starliner" spacecraft and entered the International Space Station. However, due to multiple malfunctions of the spacecraft, they have been stranded until now with an uncertain return date... The problems have erupted in a concentrated manner, and the safety loopholes behind them have actually existed for a long time. What are the problems? Please see the solution——
Frequent occurrence of major dangerous situations
On the 8th of this month, Boeing welcomed its new CEO, aviation industry veteran Kelly Altberg, who took office. The Financial Times commented that Boeing is facing one of the most severe crises since its establishment, and it is difficult for Ottoberg to lead the company to "take off again".
In addition to the Federal Aviation Administration's requirement for three Boeing 787 Dreamliners to undergo inspections and the suspension of test flight activities for the Boeing 777-9X, there are still many "embarrassments" for Boeing.
A few days ago, NASA announced that it will decide by the end of August how to return two American astronauts stranded on the International Space Station to Earth. These two astronauts traveled to the International Space Station in June aboard Boeing's newly developed "StarCraft", but were unable to return due to multiple malfunctions in the spacecraft.
At the end of July, Boeing admitted to the US Department of Justice that the 737 MAX model had "conspired to defraud the US government" in the process of applying for airworthiness certification, paid fines, and promised to make improvements, avoiding reputational damage and heavier penalties that could result from a lengthy trial.
In October 2018 and March 2019, Lion Air Indonesia and Ethiopian Airlines suffered air crashes, both involving Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, resulting in a total of 346 fatalities. The investigation found that the cause of the accident was related to security design vulnerabilities in the new software system of the aircraft model. During the process of obtaining airworthiness certification, Boeing intentionally concealed this risk from the Federal Aviation Administration and did not enhance pilot training for the software system. In 2021, Boeing reached a three-year deferred prosecution agreement with the Department of Justice. However, in January of this year, after a 737 MAX aircraft operated by Alaska Airlines had its door plug come off during flight, the Department of Justice found Boeing in violation of the agreement and demanded that Boeing plead guilty to the agreement or be prosecuted.
Frequent safety issues have led to a significant decline in Boeing's sales performance. In the first half of 2024, Boeing only received 156 aircraft orders, compared to a net order quantity of 567 aircraft for the same period the previous year.
The hidden danger has already been planted
The frequent exposure of problems has actually planted hidden dangers. Peter Robinson, a senior American journalist and writer, argues in his book "Flying Blind" that Boeing's underlying culture is flawed, overly profit driven, while the engineer culture that emphasizes innovation, standards, craftsmanship, and quality is severely diluted.
Robinson believes that for a long time, in order to maintain the stock price, Boeing's profit distribution has been tilted towards shareholders, resulting in relatively insufficient investment in technological innovation. In order to compete with Airbus' new models, Boeing hastily launched the 737 MAX aircraft, laying hidden dangers for future flight safety. According to a former Boeing quality control manager, Boeing used to assign about 15 quality inspectors per flight, but later reduced it to only retaining one quality inspector per flight. Prior to the two 737 MAX air crashes, Boeing had received multiple reports of issues with the aircraft, but failed to respond promptly and take action.
On June 19, 2023, a Boeing 737 MAX aircraft performed a flight demonstration at the Paris Air Show held at Bourget Airport near Paris, France. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Gao Jing
A recent review by Bloomberg also holds a similar view. The article states that in order to compete with Airbus, Boeing should indeed launch a new aircraft, but this should be a completely redesigned new aircraft, rather than a "patched" new model based on the 737.
The article suggests that new aircraft need to be equipped with a new generation of high bypass ratio turbofan engines. This type of engine can significantly reduce energy consumption, improve aircraft economy, and is also one of the main selling points of the new aircraft. But the size of the engine duct has significantly increased, which is not compatible with the originally designed low body of the 737 model. Therefore, the 737 MAX underwent a facelift, which resulted in a change in the aircraft's center of gravity. Under certain circumstances, it is prone to stall due to excessive elevation angles during flight. Therefore, the 737 MAX model has been equipped with the Mobility Characteristics Enhancement System (MCAS) to address this vulnerability. The defects in this software are related to two air disasters in 2018 and 2019.
The article states that Boeing initially chose the solution of "new wine in old bottles" because it was more cost-effective.
To save costs, Boeing will also sell a large amount of its core component production business and switch to outsourcing. Since the beginning of this year, several whistleblowers have successively exposed issues with Boeing's quality and safety controls.
How to rebuild reputation
To rebuild the company's reputation, we must fulfill our commitment to producing high-quality and safe commercial aircraft. At the beginning of his tenure, Ottoberg said in an open letter to employees.
Otterberg's predecessor Dave Calhoun also emphasized the importance of safety on multiple occasions. Calhoun was appointed as the head of Boeing after the plane crashes in 2018 and 2019, and was once considered to have taken on a "mission at the critical moment". At that time, the company also established a new safety committee to develop new safety standards and procedures.
On June 18, 2024, in Washington, D.C., then Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun attended a congressional hearing on "Boeing's Broken Safety Culture". Calhoun acknowledges that the company's safety culture has flaws, but insists that the company is improving and committed to enhancing product safety performance. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Jie
However, after the Boeing passenger plane door fell off in mid air this year, Calhoun resigned in disappointment. In June, he admitted during a congressional hearing that Boeing's safety culture had flaws. In the investigation of the door stopper falling off in the air, some Boeing workers bluntly stated that Boeing's so-called safety culture is "garbage".
According to reports, after taking office, Otterberg immediately faced multiple tasks, including completing Boeing's acquisition of key component supplier Unwind Aviation Systems; Negotiate with a mechanics union in the Seattle area to avoid the latter's strike in September; Revitalize the production of MAX series aircraft, etc.
It is inevitable that Rui Aviation Systems Company will undertake 70% of the fuselage structure production tasks for the 737 MAX model, which was originally part of Boeing's parts production business, but was later spun off and established as a separate company.
Whether the Boeing leadership, represented by Ultraberg, can take this opportunity to recalibrate and uphold the safety bottom line, and lead the company through the crisis, remains to be seen.