Boeing chairman, president and CEO Dennis Muilenburg has publicly apologised and extended his sympathies for the lives lost in the two recent air tragedies involving Boeing 737 Max 8 planes.
Earlier last month, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 from Addis Ababa to Nairobi crashed minutes after takeoff, killing all 157 people on board. This was the second air tragedy that involved a Boeing 737 Max 8 in the past six months, coming after the Lion Air crash with a plane of the same model in October 2018.
Since then, China, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Oman, Ethiopia, Norway and the Netherlands are among the list of countries which have suspended Boeing 737 Max jet from their airspace.
Full details of the two accidents have yet to be issued by the relevant government authorities, but preliminary reports have identified the common problem on both flights was the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), activated in response to erroneous angle of attack information.
Muilenburg has indicated that Boeing is taking a “comprehensive, disciplined approach”, and working closely with FAA and their customers to “finalise and implement a software update”.
This update, along with the additional training and extra educational materials that pilots have requested in the wake of these accidents, will eliminate the possibility of unintended MCAS activation and prevent an MCAS-related accident from ever happening again.
He added that the update is nearing completion, and certification and implementation will be done to the 737 MAX fleet worldwide in coming weeks.
Muilenburg ended the statement by stating that Boeing will “do everything possible to earn and re-earn that trust and confidence from our customers and the flying public in the weeks and months ahead”.
https://twitter.com/BoeingCEO/status/1113880952575549441
