Boeing fires CEO in wake of 737 Max crisis

Boeing fired its CEO Dennis A. Muilenburg to close out a 2019 marred by crisis after two fatal plane crashes.

“The Board of Directors decided that a change in leadership was necessary to restore confidence in the Company moving forward as it works to repair relationships with regulators, customers, and all other stakeholders,” the company said in a statement on Monday.

The move comes just one week after Boeing announced it was suspending production of its 737 Max aircraft.

Earlier this year, Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 aircraft were grounded around the world after an Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed in March. All 157 people on the flight were killed. This crash occurred just months after another fatal plane crash involving a Boeing 737 Max. In October 2018, 189 people onboard a Lion Air flight were killed after it crashed in Indonesia.

Investigations into the cause of the two crashes uncovered multiple software flaws in the plane’s flight control system, known as the MCAS. Pilots who had successfully flown the 737 Max criticized the inadequate training on the new system.

Boeing says it will replace Muilenburg with the company’s chairman, David Calhoun, who will serve as CEO and president.