Boeing CEO announces he will step down at the end of 2024 amid turmoil

US planemaker Boeing, in turmoil after several safety problems on its planes, announced on Monday that its boss Dave Calhoun would be leaving at the end of the year, as well as other managers.

Dave Calhoun will remain at the helm until the end of 2024, the company said in a press release. Stan Deal, director of the commercial aviation division, is replaced with immediate effect by Stephanie Pope, the current group chief operating officer. According to a press release, Chairman Larry Kellner “informed the board of directors that he does not plan to seek re-election at the next election” during the annual general meeting of shareholders. He has held this position since the end of 2019.

“The greatest privilege of my life”

The board chose Steve Mollenkopf, a Boeing executive and former executive at chipmaker Qualcomm, to replace him. As such, Steve Mollenkopf will be responsible for the search for Boeing’s new general manager. “Serving Boeing has been the greatest privilege of my life,” Dave Calhoun said in a letter to Boeing employees. “The eyes of the world are on us, and I know our company will improve,” he added.

At around 1245 GMT, shares of the aircraft maker rose 3.4% to $195.25 in electronic trading before the New York Stock Exchange opened. The American aircraft manufacturer found itself in the midst of a crisis after the crash in early January on an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 plane, in which a door separated from the cabin mid-flight.

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Among other consequences, the US Civil Aviation Agency (FAA) began reviewing the manufacturer’s quality control. In early March, it indicated that “non-compliance issues” had been identified in the production control systems of Boeing and its subcontractor Spirit Aerosystems. In addition to the incident on board the Alaska Airlines flight, operational problems were reported throughout 2023, as well as a number of other incidents in 2024.