Boeing's new CEO sees 737 Max production resuming in spring

Photo: The Canadian Press

Boeing CEO David Calhoun

Boeing's new CEO said Wednesday that production of the 737 Max will resume this spring, months before the company expects federal regulators to certify the grounded plane to fly again.

David Calhoun also said he believes passengers will fly on the Max when federal regulators say it is safe and they see airline pilots getting on the plane.

Calhoun dismissed the idea that Boeing's bestselling jet might never fly again or that the company should change the plane's name.

“I'm all in on it, the company is all in on it, and I believe the FAA is all in on it,” he said, referring to the Federal Aviation Administration, which is reviewing changes that Boeing is making to the Max after two crashes that killed 346 people.

An FAA spokesman said in a statement that the agency is being thorough and deliberate as it checks Boeing's proposed changes to the Max, and the agency has no timetable for finishing that review.

Calhoun, who replaced fired CEO Dennis Muilenburg this month, spoke to reporters on a conference call after meeting with Boeing employees in Seattle.

Calhoun defended the company's culture and denied that it had placed profit above safety. He did not defend internal Boeing communications in which employees involved in developing the Max ridiculed the plane and regulators and tried to convince airlines not to use flight simulators to train pilots for the Max.

“It is totally appalling,” he said of the messages.

Calhoun's comments came one day after Boeing announced that it doesn't expect the FAA to certify the Max until this summer — Calhoun repeatedly referred to June.

Boeing forecasts about the plane's return have proven too optimistic several times since the plane was grounded last March. The president of United Airlines, Scott Kirby, said Wednesday that his airline doesn't expect to use the Max this summer.

Calhoun said the new timetable was driven by recognition that the FAA was conducting a more rigorous review and by Boeing's decision this month to recommend pilot training on flight simulators instead of quicker computer-based training.