WASHINGTON, Sept 12 (Askume) – The chairman of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board told new Boeing Co (BA.N) Chief Executive Kelly Ortberg that the plane maker has “safety culture issues” that need to be addressed.
National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy told reporters at an event in Washington that she recently told Boeing’s new CEO that the company needs to make changes.
“Unless they work with their employees, a lot of the problems won’t be solved,” Homendy said. “Now their employees don’t trust Boeing and are worried about retaliation. As long as this continues, it’s really not good for aviation. Safety … they will cause you problems.”
Homendy said she plans to have a longer meeting with Ortberg before traveling to Renton, Washington, where Boeing is building the 737 Max.
Boeing had no immediate comment. It said Ortberg “listened and said he took it very seriously.”
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating an in-flight emergency on an Alaska Airlines (ALK.N) Boeing 737 MAX 9 airliner that occurred when the plane crashed on January 5
Last month, during a two-day investigation into the Max incident,Several issues were raised concerning Boeing’s safety culture .
He said the NTSB is seeking more information in its investigation and will soon begin a safety culture probe at Boeing. “Right now they’re doing fact-finding before doing analysis,” Homendy said of the probe.
FAA Administrator Mike Whittaker met with Ortberg last month and wants to ensure the plane maker executes its quality turnaround plan. Whittaker said he plans to travel to Washington later this month to meet with Ortberg.
Ortberg, who took over as CEO on Aug. 8, said in an email to employees after meeting with Whitaker last month that the company would focus on “real culture change where employees can see potential problems and speak up. They can get the right resources to solve the problem.”
