Alaska Air blowout: Boeing admits error, vows fix
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun on Tuesday addressed last week's mid-air panel blowout from an Alaska Airlines jet, acknowledging the planemaker made a mistake and telling staff it would work with regulators to make sure it "can never happen again." - REUTERS
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00:00 Boeing has admitted to errors over the blowout on an Alaska Airlines jet last week.
00:06 The 737 MAX 9 lost a large panel from its fuselage, forcing pilots into an emergency
00:12 landing.
00:13 No one was seriously hurt, but the incident raised big questions about how Boeing's top-selling
00:19 jet is made.
00:20 On Tuesday, Chief Executive Dave Calhoun said the planemaker acknowledged failures over
00:25 quality control.
00:27 He said Boeing would approach the problem with "100 per cent transparency" and ensure
00:32 there was no recurrence.
00:35 US watchdogs have grounded 171 of the planes for checks, with airlines around the world
00:40 also taking the jets out of service.
00:44 Concerns had deepened after United Airlines said it had found loose bolts on some of its
00:49 aircraft.
00:50 On Tuesday, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said travellers had a right to
00:55 feel safe.
00:56 "In that spirit, these particular Boeing aircraft will remain grounded until operators complete
01:03 enhanced inspections."
01:05 The MAX was already under scrutiny following two earlier fatal crashes.
01:10 Those incidents were traced to a design fault that was subsequently fixed.
01:15 But the jet has since been plagued by numerous production and quality control issues, threatening
01:20 deeper damage to Boeing's reputation.
01:23 Calhoun said the new drama had left customers "very anxious".
01:28 Figures out this week showed Boeing hit its jetliner production targets for 2023, but
01:34 lagged arch-rival Airbus for the fifth year running.
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