Boeing 737 programme head retires as Max stays grounded

Boeing said the head of its 737 programme is retiring, as the company works to restore confidence in the 737 Max aircraft, which has been grounded following two fatal accidents. Eric Lindblad, 57, took over the 737 programme in 2018 and has been at Boeing for 34 years. The aircraft maker said on Thursday that he will be replaced by Mark Jenks, who previously led the company’s 787 programme. Kevin McAllister, Boeing’s CE of commercial aeroplanes, said in a message to staff: “I am grateful to Eric Lindblad for his strong leadership and tireless drive over the past 12 months leading the 737 programme, as he has navigated some of the most difficult challenges our company has ever faced. He shared with me his desire to retire last year, and we will now begin to embark on a thoughtful and seamless transition plan.” Lindblad has been in charge of Boeing’s 737 programme during one of the company’s most difficult periods. In March, all 371 Max jets being flown anywhere in the world were grounded following two accidents which killed a total of 346 people. Since then, the company has been developing a software fix for the aircraft’s anti-stall system, which was implicated in both crashes but so far regulators have not signed off on the update to allow the aeroplanes to fly again. Boeing said Lindblad’s retirement had nothing to do with the recent troubles with the Max. But it has the potential to cause further disruption while Boeing is still trying to satisfy regulators around the world that the Max is safe to fly once more.<br/>