LONDON—Boeing is starting to see significant flow improvements in 737 MAX production, Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Stephanie Pope said July 21.
“Production rates are increasing meaningfully month by month,” Pope said on the eve of the Farnborough Airshow during a briefing in London.
Boeing delivered 34 MAXs in June, the highest monthly number so far this year. In the first half of 2024, it handed over 135 MAXs. Boeing had slowed down 737 MAX production further from an already low level to improve quality following the Jan. 5 Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 accident. Yet Boeing only delivered three 787s in the same month and handed over just 22 examples of the widebody in the first half of 2024.
The company is also making progress on modification of the engine anti-ice system on the 737 by now having chosen a design, Pope confirmed. The current system could cause overheating and potentially lead to structural failure of the inlet, which lead the FAA to mandate changes—first to be implemented on the 737-7 and then on the other members of the MAX families. The new design could be certified in early 2025, Pope indicated.
Pope said she was “very excited” about Boeing having received Type Inspection Authorization (TIA) by the FAA for the 777-9 program. The decision marked “a step forward” in the execution of the development program.
In her first public appearance since becoming Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO four months ago, she stressed that the changes being implemented at the company are transformational rather than incremental. Some of them will take years to be implemented, she added.
Pope was briefing reporters on the eve of the industry’s largest event of the year in which Boeing has limited its presence to focus on its safety and quality plan. She stressed that “we are a completely united leadership team” from the top to the factory floor when it comes to implementing changes.
Pope said she has been doing “a lot of listening” to employees, regulators and customers, and was confident that the safety and quality plan would work because the ideas for changes incorporated into it came from employees.
She defined three priorities for her work: implementing the plan, getting back to predictable deliveries, and ensuring a company culture with clear leadership that provides employees with the tools while ensuring engagement and empowerment.
At the same time, Pope deferred questions about who might be the new Boeing CEO to the board. When asked whether she was interested in the job, she said she was “focused 24/7” on her current role. “Leadership is all about meeting the moment,” she added.
Pope succeeded Stan Deal to lead the commercial aircraft division in March. She is also Boeing's chief operating officer. She also declined to answer whether she thought that moving Boeing’s corporate headquarters back to Seattle would be necessary in the company’s turnaround. Instead, she pointed out that the headquarters for commercial airplanes is in Seattle and that many “enterprise leaders” are based there. The Pacific Northwest has "a deep aviation heritage and that will continue for decades to come.”
While delivery delays continue, Pope stressed how engaged Boeing’s customers are with the safety and quality plan. “We make mistakes and we learn—that makes this industry so safe,” she said. “Our customers are sharing their learnings.” She also conceded that ”we have disappointed them and impacted their business.”
Pope argued that Boeing now has a “much different engagement model with suppliers.” This includes weekly meetings at the CEO level and Boeing having deployed “hundreds and hundreds” of staff to supplier factories. On July 1 Boeing announced the takeover of large parts of Spirit AeroSystems to get better control of and stability in 737 fuselage production.
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