At the “Europe 2024” conference in Berlin, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury expressed his concerns regarding the aerospace industry’s safety reputation amid technical issues faced by competitor Boeing. “I am not happy with the problems of my competitor,” Faury stated, according to Reuters.
He emphasized the importance of safety and quality in the aerospace sector, saying, “They are not good for the industry as a whole. We are in an industry where quality and safety is top priority.”
In the same vein, Bruno Le Maire, France’s Finance Minister, during the event, voiced a personal preference for Airbus over Boeing, attributing his choice to safety considerations for himself and his family.
I now prefer flying in Airbus over Boeing — my family too, they care about me,” Le Maire told Bloomberg.
Public Sentiment Divided on Comfort Levels with Boeing 737 Max, Survey Shows
Amid these discussions, a poll conducted by Jon Ostrower, a renowned aviation industry journalist and founder of The Air Current, revealed mixed sentiments towards Boeing’s 737 Max family aircraft, which have recently returned to service.
The poll, hosted on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), asked, “With the 737 Max family now back in service, do you feel comfortable flying on the airplane?” Garnering over 2,200 responses, 59.4% voted “Yes” indicating comfort, whereas 40.6% voted “No.
The aerospace industry’s resilience depends on both Airbus and Boeing operating effectively, as any technical mishap from either could impact the sector. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) conducted a six-week audit and a separate Expert Review Panel report highlighted concerns within Boeing’s safety management system, pointing to systemic issues affecting production and employee willingness to report safety concerns.
Boeing Announces Steps to Address Safety and Quality Concerns
Boeing, in a statement by President and CEO Dave Calhoun, addressed the findings: “By virtue of our quality stand-downs, the FAA audit findings and the recent expert review panel report, we have a clear picture of what needs to be done. Transparency prevailed in all of these discussions.
Boeing will develop the comprehensive action plan with measurable criteria that demonstrates the profound change that Administrator Whitaker and the FAA demand. Our Boeing leadership team is totally committed to meeting this challenge.”
The FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker, in an interview with ‘NBC Nightly News,’ criticized Boeing’s prioritization of production over safety, reflecting on the company’s current safety culture and production procedures. Whitaker’s observations echo the concerns raised by the recent culture survey and FAA audit.
“Well, my impressions were similar to the culture survey that just got completed at Boeing and our audit, which is that there are issues around the safety culture at Boeing,” he said. Whitaker further emphasized the importance of prioritizing safety in discussions with the FAA, noting, “Whenever someone comes into the FAA to brief on their company, the first thing I expect is to talk about safety because we all have to start there. If it’s not safe, then the whole system is not working the way it should.”