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Old 20th Jan 2024, 18:28
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Big Pistons Forever
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Canada
Age: 63
Posts: 5,211
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There is one number that really tells it all. Boeing spent 40 BILLION DOLLARS on stock buy backs since 2010. If that money that had been spent on production QA and new product R & D we would not be having this discussion, however that money was spent solely to juice the stock price and resulted in outside bonuses to the C suite executives. It is almost unbelievable the damage Jack Welch did to American business.

I don't see any way ever Boeing comes back. Even if all the bean counter short term thinkers are purged it is probably too late. Boeing does not have the financial resources to invest in future airframes. The 737 is a dead end, selling only because the Airbus booked up to 2027. The 21 Billion dollar fall out of the MAX debacle means the even if they build 5000 of them they still won't be profitable especially because they can only be moved at a substantial discount. The disastrous and continuing production problems with the 787 also ensure it will never be profitable and the 777X is floundering with so many own goals on certification issues the FAA is at the stage that they won't take Boeings word on the design of the cockpit pen holders. let alone the major aircraft systems.

I think sooner rather than later you will see Boeing split into Boeing Commercial and Boeing Military and Space. Boeing Commercial will immediately go into Chapter 11 and be restructured into much smaller company with probably only the 737 and KC 46 production lines remaining with in service support to existing airframes.

In any case If there is another crash that can be directly attributable to a Boeing design or manufacturing flaw then I think the company is immediately done.
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