Boeing CEO Marks Year of Wins Amid Ongoing Challenges

One year after stepping in during one of  Boeing's most turbulent chapters, CEO Kelly Ortberg has slowed the company’s steep decline but now faces fresh operational and strategic hurdles. Ortberg, who came out of retirement to take the helm, has concentrated on stabilizing core operations, improving production quality, and tackling safety and transparency issues.

The crisis escalated in January 2024 after a 737 MAX suffered a mid-flight panel blowout, prompting the resignation of Ortberg’s predecessor and reigniting fears tied to two deadly MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people. Upon arrival, Ortberg vowed to “restore trust, stay close to the factory floor, and ensure Boeing met its commitments to safety, quality, and transparency.”

Since then, Boeing has made headway: boosting efficiency on the 737 line, managing trade frictions under President Donald Trump, settling with the US Department of Justice over the MAX crashes, securing major aircraft orders, and winning the contract to build the US military’s first sixth-generation fighter jet, the F-47. The company’s share price is up 39% year over year, fueled by higher 737 output.

Yet challenges persist. Boeing posted a US$643 million loss in 1H25, still lags Airbus in the single-aisle market, struggles to advance its defense and space units, carries heavy debt, and is in the process of acquiring its largest supplier,  Spirit AeroSystems. Furthermore, certification delays persist for its latest aircraft models, including the 777-9 and the smallest and largest variants of the 737 MAX series (MAX 7 and MAX 10), now postponed until next year.

Ortberg has shifted Boeing’s priorities away from cost-cutting toward fixing deep-rooted production problems. He also introduced a blunt new core value—“Give a damn!”—to drive accountability and employee engagement.

Labor unrest remains a thorn. Last year’s seven-week strike by 33,000 unionized jetliner workers on the West Coast, followed by a recent walkout of 3,200 fighter jet employees, has compounded production strains.

Navigating Washington’s political landscape is also critical. Boeing recently brought in veteran aerospace lobbyist Jeff Shockey to lead government relations—a role central to securing FAA approvals for ramping up production and new aircraft certifications, and to winning federal backing for the F-47 fighter program.