Boeing wins confidence of shareholders, prepares for key 737 MAX test flight

Boeing executives successfully beat back shareholder challenges to their authority on Monday as the company signaled it expects regulators to take a key step next week in the effort to get the 737 MAX back in the air following two deadly crashes. The aerospace giant, under scrutiny following the crashes that killed 346 passengers and crew and grounded the MAX worldwide, won a vote of confidence from its investors, even as company management faced tough questions over plane design and the possible missteps in getting the aircraft to market. Boeing expects the FAA to conduct a test flight by the end of next week of the software fix the company developed for the flight system on the 737 MAX, a company spokesman said Monday. That would be a critical step in certifying the aircraft as flight-worthy. However, an FAA spokesman said the agency had not released a date or time for the flight yet. Amid reports of missteps in developing the newest version of its most popular aircraft, concerned shareholders used the annual meeting to seek greater transparency by proposing to make the chairman an independent director and to disclose lobbying activities and trade association memberships. But those proposals garnered just 34 and 32% of the votes, respectively, somewhat better than similar measures last year, but still well below 50%. The defeat of those motions no doubt was relief for CE Dennis Muilenburg and other company brass but there was little sense of triumph at an annual meeting that included a moment of silence for the lives lost. Story has more background.<br/>