Boeing’s new chairman Steve Mollenkopf is said to be taking a change in approach and will be cancelling a formal meeting that was planned with the CEOs of the manufacturer’s largest US customers.
Instead, Mollenkopf will directly reach out to the airline bosses of American, Southwest, United and Alaska airlines as part of his attempt to reaffirm Boeing’s relations with its customers, sources told Bloomberg.
Former chairman Larry Kellner, along with a group of directors, planned to meet the airline chiefs as a response to a request by the four carriers amid their rising frustrations towards the company.
The increased scrutiny Boeing has faced due to a number of recent high-profile incidents, quality control issues and manufacturing lapses has meant the company has been unable to deliver aircraft anywhere near its promised rate.
Aircraft delivery delays have resulted in Southwest adjusting its strategy by reducing expansion plans, and United has asked its pilots to take time off work as the late deliveries mean less available flight hours than planned.
Kellner is among Boeing’s top executives who were axed by the company’s huge management shakeup, which includes the departure of Dave Calhoun as CEO by the end of the year.
The shakeup was prompted by the general loss in confidence towards Boeing’s management, along with increasing pressure from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) as the company’s reputation continues to suffer.
As Boeing’s new chairman, Mollenkopf, who was brought into the company’s board of directors in 2020 by Calhoun himself, will lead the search for the CEO’s replacement.
Among the reshuffle, Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Stan Deal has also stepped down with immediate effect, replaced by former chief operating officer Stephanie Pope.
Boeing and the airlines declined to comment regarding the matter when approached Bloomberg.
