Boeing faces leadership shakeup amid safety concerns and scandals

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun announced his departure from the company by year's end, marking a significant leadership reshuffle for the aerospace leader amid escalating safety and aircraft production challenges.

CNN reports Calhoun penned a special letter to his colleagues about his decision. Moreover, Boeing's President Larry Kellner is set to leave his role, having decided not to seek another term. Stanley Deal, who led the company's civilian aircraft production division, has also been let go.

The "Wall Street Journal" links these changes to pressure from investors, disgruntled by a string of scandals and mishaps. Particularly, a January incident where emergency doors detached from an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 mid-flight sparked an investigation and raised fresh concerns over production standards.

Calhoun, who took the helm at Boeing in 2020, aimed to uplift the company's standards and reputation following the fallout from two Max 8 disasters, attributed to concealing information about the aircraft's defects from regulators. In 2021, Boeing acknowledged a "conspiracy to commit fraud against the United States" charge, resulting in more than $2.5 billion in fines.

Customer complaints about aircraft production and delivery delays also surged. In March, the suspected suicide of a former employee threw the company under scrutiny again. The employee had accused Boeing of employing substandard parts and overlooking errors in the aircraft production line.

John Barnett, the 62-year-old ex-employee, was found deceased in his car in a hotel parking lot. Barnett's career at Boeing spanned 32 years, concluding with his retirement in 2017.