KUALA LUMPUR: American aircraft manufacturer The Boeing Company (Boeing) outgoing chief executive officer (CEO) Dave Calhoun cautions his employees that "the eyes of the world are on us" as the company undergoes restructuring to restore its days of glory.
Calhoun, in a message to Boeing employees, said the company will come through the tough moment a better company and it will continue to be committed to safety and quality.
"I'm confident that the way we have confronted these challenges, and how we're responding to this specific moment, is establishing standards for future generations of employees and will be woven into the fabric of how we operate for decades to come," he said in the message.
Boeing had announced Calhoun's decision to depart as the company's CEO by end-2024, paving a way for a new leader to step in to helm the aircraft manufacturing organisation.
Following Calhoun, who is also Boeing's president, the company's commercial airplanes president and CEO, Stan Deal also announced his retirement.
Deal is replaced by Boeing chief operating officer Stephanie Pope.
At the same time, former CEO of Qualcomm Steve Mollenkopf was elected as Boeing's new board chair as the current seat held by Larry Kellner will be vacant at its upcoming annual shareholder meeting.
"President and CEO Dave Calhoun today announced his decision to step down as CEO at the end of 2024, and he will continue to lead Boeing through the year to complete the critical work underway to stabilise and position the company for the future," Boeing said in a statement on March 25.
Calhoun was appointed to lead Boeing in 2020 to restructure the company after two fatal crashes of the B737 MAX 8 airplanes in 2018 and 2019.
The crashes, which involved Indonesia's Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines, had taken a total of 346 people. As a result, the B737 MAX 8 aircraft were grounded worldwide for some 20 months.
On Jan 5 this year, Boeing faced another crisis when the door plug of its B737 MAX 9 operated by Alaska Airlines blew out mid-flight.
The company is being sued by passengers who were onboard the flight en-route from Portland International Airport to Ontario International Airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration had temporarily grounded the MAX 9 aircraft in the U.S. following the incident.
National Transportation Safety Board initial probe found that the aircraft had left Boeing's factory in Oct with four bolts missing to secure the door plug.
Both Boeing and Alaska Airlines have denied any wrongdoing.
Amid its jet safety scandal, Boeing's whistle-blower John Barnett, who worked for the company for 30 years and retired in 2017, was found dead in the U.S.
He gave evidence in a whistle-blower lawsuit against the manufacturer prior to his death on March 9.
The Charleston Country Coroner confirmed his death to the media saying that the 62-year-old had died from self-inflicted wound.
On March 1, Boeing said that it is in talks with to buy back its major supplier Spirit AeroSystems as part of its restructuring.
SpiritAerosystems, which is based in Kansas, was sold in 2005 for US$900 million in cash. The company manufactures major parts of several Boeing airplane models, including the fuselage for the B737 MAX aircraft.