Boeing fires CEO Muilenburg to restore confidence amid 737 crisis, Chairman David Calhoun to take over

By keeping Muilenburg as long as it did, some experts say Boeing ignored part of the crisis communications playbook Boeing Co has fired Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg after repeatedly failing to contain the fallout from a pair of fatal crashes that halted output of its best-selling jetliner and tarnished its reputation with airlines and regulators. Chairman David Calhoun, a former General Electric executive who has been on the Boeing board since 2009, will take over as CEO and president, effective from 13 January, Boeing said. “Under his watch, a long-admired company made a number of devastating decisions that suggest profit took priority over safety.” ‘Right took kit?’ Calhoun, who is resigning from Blackstone to take the top job at Boeing, was respected by the industry, said aerospace analyst Richard Aboulafia of Teal Group. “We don’t think it is controversial to suggest that Boeing’s MAX response has been a failure—and as a result we think it is wholly appropriate for the board to replace Muilenburg,” said Robert Stallard, analyst at Vertical Research Partners.