
Boeing HQ
The week at Boeing was relatively quiet in early 2025. That is a good thing.
The FAA has proposed two new airworthiness directives this week, both of which have already been corrected by company in service bulletins last year that are now made mandatory. Once involved the use of grade 1 and 2 rather than a grade 5 titanium alloy on 787 seat tracks, and another to secure screens on older 737NG and 757 aircraft with a safety loop. These basically confirmed their service bulletins from lasts year and made them mandatory for US airlines, which is how things normally work.
Emirates remains upset with Boeing, with Emirates CEO Tim Clark urging Kelly Ortberg to treat their employees better. Clark has been a constant critic of aircraft delays, but is urging the company to return to its prior excellence, indicating that Emirates and other airlines will clearly buy more airplanes once its quality issues are resolved.
Sean Duffy, the nominee to head the Department of Transportation, stated that Boeing needs “tough love” to overcome its failures and restore trust in the company. He indicated that the FAA will do its part to ensure that happens. But as of today, the Administrator and Deputy Administrator are leaving in 4 days with no replacements hired.
The production ramp-up will be implemented at the same time as new safety and quality procedures. Hopefully the new process will ensure that “quality escapes” stop happening at both the company and its supply chain, so “perfect airplanes” can result.
The news on the orders and deliveries front was positive on the former, as orders did not dry up after the Alaska Airlines incident last year, and negative since Boeing delivered only 348 airplanes, fewer than half of what Airbus delivered.
The low delivery numbers reflected even lower production, as Boeing did sell a significant number of aircraft from its existing inventory in 2024. Boeing will increase production rates in 2025, but the question is how quickly, as the company is unlikely to achieve the FAA maximum of 38 per month until much later in 2025.
A key market for the company is India, and CEO Kelly Ortberg is making one of his first foreign trips to focus on the expanding supply chain on the subcontinent. Boeing could provide both a boost to the Indian economy and continue to grow its order book with more political support by growing its supply base.
In good news, the company is restarting its 777X test flights after the engine thrust link problem emerged. With a new solution to the problem developed during the last five months, resumption of flight testing is a key positive toward the certification of the 777X. Delivering the 777X to Emirates would help reduce the negative commentary by CEO Tim Clark, who is clearly not happy with the 5 years and counting delay for the program.
Finally, a story about the company moving backwards in 2024 documents the terrible year that Boeing had, but fails to note the positives we are now seeing from the company as it begins the slow process to recovery. There is still a lot to overcoming in changing public opinion..
The Bottom Line: A relatively quiet week is positive for Boeing, and this has been another quiet week with one milestone, the resumption of 777X flight testing, achieved. There is progress being made.
Links to this week’s news follow:
- FAA orders Boeing 787 seat-track inspection amid manufacturing defect – Aviation A2Z
- Emirates boss tells Boeing’s new CEO: Treat your workers better – Head Topics
- FAA proposes 737NG and 757 directives after overhead monitor ‘detached’ in hard landing – Flight Global
- Sean Duffy says Boeing needs ‘tough love’ to overcome failures, vows to restore trust in company – Just the News
- Boeing December Orders & Deliveries – AirInsight
- Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg visits India; over 600 aircraft orders in pipeline – The Hindu business line
- Boeing set to resume 777X certification flight tests – Aviation Week
- Boeing going backwards as production’s slowing and woes keep flowing – The Register
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