Boeing's new CEO Kelly Ortberg takes reins of troubled aerospace giant

He pledges to restore trust and improve transparency as he visits factory in Washington

A Boeing 777X flight test aircraft at a gate at the Everett Delivery Centre in Washington. Boeing has faced federal investigations and financial woes after a door plug blew out mid-flight on a 737-MaxShow more

Boeing's new chief executive Kelly Ortberg pledged to “restore trust” in the embattled US aerospace company as he officially took charge on Thursday.

Boeing has faced federal investigations and financial woes after a door plug blew out mid-flight on a 737-Max 9 plane in January.

At the heart of its manufacturing troubles was its plant in Renton, Washington, the factory that builds the 737 Max.

In a message to employees, Mr Ortberg said he intended to be based in Seattle – where Boeing was founded – to be closer to the commercial aeroplane programmes, including the 737 Max.

“In fact, I’ll be on the factory floor in Renton today, talking with employees and learning about challenges we need to overcome, while also reviewing our safety and quality plans,” he wrote.

“Because what we do is complex, I firmly believe that we need to get closer to the production lines and development programmes across the company.”

Mr Ortberg was named as Boeing's chief executive last week, after the company reported a $1.4 billion net loss in the second quarter. Its defence and space unit, one of its main businesses, lost $913 million.

Mr Ortberg faces the task of restoring Boeing's reputation, something his predecessor Dave Calhoun failed to do during his tenure.

The door-plug blowout in January led to new investigations into the company's manufacturing problems, as well as its treatment of whistleblowers who questioned Boeing's safety standards.

During a congressional hearing in June, US legislators said Mr Calhoun had not done enough to address safety and whistleblower concerns.

Before his departure in July, the US Justice Department reached a settlement over two 737 Max crashes that resulted in the deaths of 346 people in Ethiopia and Indonesia more than five years ago.

“While we clearly have a lot of work to do in restoring trust, I’m confident that working together, we will return the company to be the industry leader we all expect,” Mr Ortberg wrote.

'Major shake-up needed'

In the days before Mr Ortberg took control of the company, a US regulator grilled Boeing executives on the company's safety culture and retaliation against whistleblowers.

“We’re concerned we’re going to be right here again in a couple of years unless a major shake-up occurs,” said Jennifer Homendy, chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board.

Ms Homendy also said the board would examine the company's safety culture at its site near Seattle.

Brian Knaup, an official at the Federal Aviation Administration, said during the hearing that the agency doubled its enforcement cases against Boeing since the door plug incident.

The FAA has previously ordered the company to provide a road map to address its safety issues, and limited production of the 737 Max.