Originally Posted by
ProPax
The guy's been sitting on the Boeing's board of directors for ELEVEN YEARS, and he still "wants to be sure he understands" the only two segments his company works in!!! I'm sorry but I don't think Boeing has any time for the chief's soul searching. What it needs is someone at the helm who actually knows what he's doing. And then it needs to brace for what looks increasingly like a fight for survival.
Too harsh?
Maybe.
Boeing's problem right now is that they have to replace TWO aircraft types rather soon - the 737, which the MAX debacle shows has reached (and overreached) its limits, and the 757/767.
Boeing hoped continuing to expand the 737 meant the NMA could focus on the other part of the market - sub-787 wide-body.
Now the question arises - can Boeing afford to develop both a new single-aisle
and a new double-aisle at the same time? Does there exist any one design (SA or DA) that can simultaneously handle, via fuselage stretching/shrinking, both ends of the "medium" market? Or other commonalities (757/767-style) that can reduce the total costs of two aircraft designs? And what will be the best choice for the market/economy/world situation of 2030, when the NMA or NMA/NSA actually goes into service?
That requires one h*ll of a crystal ball - especially given Boeing's financial constraints. It will amount to "betting the company all over again" on one choice or the other.
On the other question - I would not expect a board member to be as completely up-to-speed on all the details of a company's plans as the CEO - otherwise, why waste money on a CEO? Calhoun is having to do a "quick-study" course on how Boeing's world has changed over the past 12-15 months. And at this point, he probably is not fully confident that the decisions of the dismissed CEO were trustworthy, so they are all subject to review.