A former
Boeing engineer has said that he “wouldn’t have any concerns” about flying in a 737 Max despite ongoing scrutiny and safety fears surrounding the aircraft and the company. The plane manufacturer has for months been fighting to reassure passengers and its airline customers over its aircraft safety after a new 737 Max 9 was forced to make an emergency stop in January when a cabin panel blew out mid-air. A probe has been launched into the Alaska Airlines incident by the US
Justice Department, which could expose the company to criminal prosecution and further shake public confidence in the firm. But Mark Paskowitz, a former Boeing employee who spent three-and-a-half years at the heart of its engineering projects in
California, told i that he “would not have any concerns” about flying in a Boeing jet and “had not even thought” to worry for his safety. “I have a few trips coming up and I’ve not even checked to see what type of plane I’m flying in,” said Mr Paskowitz, who lives in
London and now works in finance. “These are still rare events,” the 52-year-old insisted. “Anything more than zero is more than we’d like, but I’ve not even thought about checking what plane I’ll be on.” Amid concerns over its aircraft safety, Boeing has said it has taken steps to strengthen its quality-checking processes. Dave Calhoun, the company’s chief executive, said Boeing has “more work to do” as it tries to repair its reputation and “earn the confidence of our stakeholders”. The aviation giant operates within a duopoly, supplying more than 40 per cent of the world’s commercial aircraft, with Airbus its only substantial and larger rival. Speculating on why Boeing had experienced a string of issues with its final product , the former engineer – who spent most of his time in the defence, space and security division – suggested that problems “could be” down to talented and experienced staff hired in the late 1980s and early 90s leaving the company or retiring. Mr Paskowitz, who left the firm in 2000, said following the Cold War there was initially a forced reduction in people working in the aerospace industry before “a big revamp” saw the sector rapidly grow again. He speculated that many of these employees had since left the company and reduced its talent pool. The same theory was suggested by Peter Lemme, who worked as a Boeing engineer for 16 years. Mr Lemme said a generational shift was underway in the behemoth as older engineers approach retirement. He previously told i : “Learning and expertise and judgement… is being lost… If you put people in that don’t have the same level of experience… the flaws and weaknesses in the process can come home to roost.” Mr Lemme suggested that waves of layoffs both around the pandemic and since the 90s may have led to some issues. “You can’t just
fire 1,000 manufacturing employees and it not have a big impact on your product and the quality. And this is not to discredit the people that are coming in that are new, that are motivated, but they’re not necessarily getting the training they need,” he claimed. Mr Paskowitz, meanwhile, said that some of the company’s recent failings may be because the IT industry had soaked up much of the engineering talent. Read Next Ryanair boss slams 'stupid' French minister for saying Airbus is better than Boeing He believed this could now be in the process of reversing, however, as companies like
SpaceX and Virgin Galactic reignite interest in the aerospace industry. “There’s a lot of ruin in a nation,” Mr Paskowitz said, quoting 18th-century economist Adam Smith, as he reflected on the ongoing situation at Boeing and whether the aviation giant would recover. The Scottish economist used the line to claim that countries could generally cope with poor policies. “It’s definitely a problem,” said Mr Paskowitz “But fatal? I’d be surprised.” Another former Boeing engineer, whose name i has agreed to withhold, said he would also be content taking to the skies in a 737 Max. The 24-year-old, who worked for Boeing for almost two years as a software engineer in Karnataka,
India, said he would be “more than comfortable” flying on a Boeing 737. He said he had talked to engineers who “worked on the electronics of the 737” and despite the previous problems, he said he was more than confident that they were rectified. “I would fly on it. But I understand the concerns that the world has about it,” the former engineer, who now lives in London, said. “When I looked at the data of the 737, right, there are around 400, 500 flights just doing their
Job perfectly all day,” he continued, “and I have seen that they function properly almost every time.” Reflecting on his time at Boeing, the 24-year-old, who left in August last year to undertake further academic study, said: “The management and everything was phenomenal. “The quality was always good, and the management took care and ensured products were always delivered correctly. If there was ever a problem, it would always be corrected immediately.” A spokesperson for Boeing said this week: “Based on the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) audit, our quality stand downs and the recent expert panel report, we continue to implement immediate changes and develop a comprehensive action plan to strengthen safety and quality, and build the confidence of our customers and their passengers. “We are squarely focused on taking significant, demonstrated action with transparency at every turn.”