Boeing chief executive Dave Calhoun to leave as firm faces safety crisis

Boeing boss Dave Calhoun will leave at the end of this year amid a deepening crisis over the firm's safety record.

Boeing boss Dave Calhoun will leave at the end of this year amid a deepening crisis over the firm's safety record.

Boeing also said that the head of its commercial airlines division will retire immediately while its chairman will not stand for re-election.

The firm is under pressure after an unused door blew out of a Boeing 737 Max in January shortly after take-off.

No-one was injured but the firm's safety and quality control standards came under renewed scrutiny.

Mr Calhoun took on the chief executive role in early 2020 after the previous boss, Dennis Muilenburg, was ousted in the aftermath of one of the biggest scandals in its history.

Within the space of five months, two brand new 737 Max planes had been lost in almost identical accidents that claimed the lives of 346 passengers and crew.

When Mr Calhoun took over, he promised to strengthen Boeing's "safety culture" and "rebuild trust".

However, in January this year a disused emergency exit door blew off a new Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max shortly after take-off from Portland International Airport.