Online Reporter
Boeing Co chief executive officer Kelly Ortberg finds himself in a familiar role — facing another crisis — this time a crash involving the company’s marquee 787 Dreamliner jet in India that killed more than 240 people.
In his first nine months as CEO, Ortberg had led the company through the early signs of a turnaround.
He navigated a cash crunch, rising labour unrest, a rush to overhaul the company’s safety operations, and a trade war wrought by President Donald Trump against one of Boeing’s biggest customers: China.
But just as Ortberg seemed to be gaining momentum and earning cautious praise for the discipline and rigour he brought to the long-troubled company, a horrifying crash of an Air India 787 bound for London served as a reminder of how hard it is to win back confidence in the planemaker.
Boeing stock dropped nearly 5 percent Wednesday on the news of the accident, which killed 241 of the 242 people on board, once again associating the planemaker with safety concerns.
“It’s a classic moment of crisis management and fast response: getting out there and sending teams to understand what happened, and just being there to reassure people,” said aerospace consultant Richard Aboulafia.
“A lot of life is just showing up.”
In a statement, Ortberg expressed his condolences to the families of the passengers and crew on board and the people of Ahmedabad, where the flight originated.
He also offered Air India support in the crash investigation.
Meanwhile, Ortberg and Boeing commercial aircraft head Stephanie Pope cancelled their plans to attend the Paris Air Show, which usually serves as an opportunity for the CEO to showcase the company’s progress and book additional plane orders.
It could take weeks, or even months, to discover the cause of the crash and how Ortberg responds during this time will be closely watched. — Bloomberg
