Boeing president and CEO David Calhoun has announced that he will step down from his positions at the end of 2024 in a letter to the company’s employees.
The US aircraft manufacturer is undergoing a broader executive shakeup amid US federal investigations into the company following the door plug blowout on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft.
"I have been considering for some time, in discussion with our board of directors, the right time for a CEO transition at Boeing," said Calhoun in his letter.
"I want to share with you that I have decided this will be my last year as CEO of our great company, and I have notified the board of that decision."
Boeing said in a statement that Calhoun would remain CEO through the end of the year to "complete the critical work underway to stabilise and position the company for the future". The company did not designate a successor.
Calhoun was chairman of Boeing's board when he took over as CEO in early 2020, replacing Dennis Muilenburg after federal authorities grounded the 737 Max aircraft following two crashes in which 346 people died.
The 2024 door-plug incident, however, resulted in multiple federal investigations of Boeing that have led to criticism of the company's quality-control processes, among other concerns.
"We are going to fix what isn't working, and we are going to get our company back on the track towards recovery and stability," added Calhoun in the letter.
In another management move, Stephanie Pope has been appointed to lead Boeing Commercial Aeroplanes with immediate effect. She replaces Stan Deal who has retired from the company.
Ryanair welcomed Boeing’s management changes with the Irish airline facing delivery delays to its order of Boeing 737s, which has forced it to cut some flights from its original summer 2024 schedule.
Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s CEO, said: “We look forward to working with Stephanie Pope to accelerate B737 aircraft deliveries to customers, including Ryanair in Europe, for summer and autumn 2024.”