CBS News by Rachel Layne 4/29/2019
Boeing executives faced shareholders in public on Monday for the first time since two fatal crashes led to the grounding of the latest version of its most popular aircraft, the 737 Max.
CEO Dennis Muilenburg, speaking at Boeing's annual shareholder meeting in Chicago, said that the aerospace giant is making "steady progress" in implementing a software update that will enable the Federal Aviation Administration to certify the aircraft as safe.
Almost 90 percent of the more than 50 airline and other operators have "experienced the software update themselves" during a simulator session, Muilenburg said. Test pilots have taken 146 flights in 737 Max aircraft totaling 246 hours of airtime with the new software, he noted.
Muilenburg held on to his dual CEO-chairman role despite a shareholder attempt to remove him from chairmanship.
Read on for highlights from Muilenburg's public address:
Those money-losing customersThe company is "actively" engaged with airlines and other customers that are losing money from the 737 Max groundings, something Boeing "deeply regrets," Muilenburg told reporters. He declined to comment on specific airlines or amounts.
"The first focus here is safely getting the Max up and flying," the CEO said. "And then we'll address the follow-on issues."
Muilenburg said the initial certification process for the 737 Max was followed properly and was consistent with Boeing procedure. The two crashes, and the software issue, were part of a "chain of events" now under investigation in both crashes, he said.
Boeing, and the media, should wait for the outcome of the investigation, he told reporters.
More:
https://www.cbsnews.com/live-news/boeing-737-max-fixes-promised-as-boeing-ceo-dennis-muilenburg-addresses-public-live-updates/
