Boeing HQ
Today’s key stories about Boeing focus on the untimely death of a Boeing whistleblower at age 45 from a fast spreading illness. Â Our condolences to the family and friends of Joshua Dean. Â This story has dominated the headlines at Boeing since another whistleblower allegedly committed suicide earlier this year during depositions. Â While this may give rise to conspiracy theories, there is no evidence of Boeing involvement in either situation.
In other news, a discussion of a potential Uganda Airlines order, Southwest and Boeing agreeing on shifting MAX 7 orders to MAX 8 orders, which are too large for the airlines operations, Â and Spirit AeroSystems suing to block a State of Texas safety investigation on top of the current FAA probe.
Links to today’s key stories follow:
The Worrisome Death of a Second Boeing Quality Critic – Christine Negroni
Whistleblower Joshua Dean of Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems has died – Seattle Times
US’s Southwest, Boeing, agree on MAX 7 to MAX 8 order conversion – Ch-Aviation
That Uganda Boeing order – dropping the other shoe – AirInsight
Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems sues to block Texas safety probe – Investing.com
Air Canada abandons plans for two Boeing 767 converted freighters – Yahoo Finance
The Bottom Line
There have been a lot of Boeing whistleblowers in recent years, 32 by one count, so hearing from ex-Boeing employees is not new. Â But having two die closely together at a time when Boeing is already beleaguered is another blow to confidence. The company is in a search for a new CEO amid management changes and the corporate culture is described as toxic. Quality issues on the 737 MAX are constraining production rate ramp-up and cash flow at the same time a supplier issue cutting production of the 787, Boeing’s other cash cow, Â from 5 aircraft per month to 3 for the remainder of the year. Â The 777X remains late, with Airbus now trying to sell A350-1000s to frustrated customers waiting for the aircraft, and the KC-46A tanker doesn’t yet meet full performance specs, which will be fixed at Boeing’s expense. Combine that with the FAA demanding more stringent quality from Boeing, while toughening up the certification process for the 777X, MAX7 and MAX10, and the timing of these deaths couldn’t be worse. Â The pressure on Boeing just continues to build, impacting industry and shareholder confidence. Â We could certainly use some positive news, for a change, from Seattle.
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