Boeing CEO faces heat in Senate hearing: 5 takeaways from his testimony

Boeing CEO David Calhoun appeared before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Tuesday, answering questions about the company’s performance and how it’s responding to safety concerns amid ongoing scrutiny from regulators and investigations by authorities.

Boeing has been under scrutiny for years, and the pressure seems only to be increasing after a series of high-profile safety incidents beginning with two crashes of 737 Max jets that left 346 people dead. Those wrecks were ultimately attributed to poorly designed, undisclosed flight control software. The global Max fleet was grounded for nearly two years after the second crash, and the software was redesigned.

Manufacturing quality has been at the center of the current wave of attention. In January, an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 lost a section of its fuselage shortly after takeoff. No serious injuries were reported, but more than 100 planes were again grounded, and regulatory scrutiny of Boeing ramped up.

Here are five key moments from Calhoun's testimony:

1. Boeing CEO addresses the families of victims

Several family members of victims who died in two Boeing 737 Max crashes abroad more than five years ago appeared with photos of their deceased relatives in the hearing room. During his introduction, Calhoun turned around and spoke to them directly.

“I would like to speak directly to those who lost loved ones on Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. I want to personally apologize, on behalf of everyone at Boeing. We are deeply sorry for your losses. Nothing is more important than the safety of the people who step on board our airplanes. Every day we seek to honor the memory of those lost through a steadfast commitment to safety and quality,” a transcript of his prepared remarks said.

2. Calhoun hasn't spoken directly with whistleblowers

Much of the recent scrutiny on Boeing results from whistleblower complaints alleging the company has taken shortcuts that jeopardize safety on its production lines. Calhoun said he’s aware of the complaints and that the company has a strict no-retaliation policy, but he acknowledged he has not met with any of the whistleblowers personally.

"I have not spoken directly to any of the whistleblowers," Calhoun responded to Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis.

"Do you think that would be a good idea?" Johnson asked, and Calhoun agreed. "I'd recommend it."

3. How much does Boeing's CEO Dave Calhoun make?

Calhoun's salary: $32.8 million.

In response to questioning from Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Calhoun refused to say the number aloud, though the senator entered it into the record.

“It’s a big number,” Calhoun said.

“It’s working out great for you," Hawley added. "For the American people, they’re in danger. For your workers, they’re in peril. For your whistleblowers, they literally fear for their lives. But you’re getting compensated like never before.”

Calhoun is set to step down as CEO of Boeing later this year.

4. Some of Boeing’s problems stem from a lack of institutional knowledge

There’s been much reporting on the brain drain at Boeing, which accelerated during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic with early retirements. Calhoun said the loss of intergenerational knowledge on the production lines has affected the safety culture of the company.

“This relates so much to an untrained workforce,” Calhoun said.

5. The whole aviation industry works together on safety

Calhoun said throughout his testimony that not all incidents involving a Boeing plane can be traced to Boeing production specifically, but he emphasized that Boeing and all industry stakeholders work together when something goes wrong to figure out what happened and ensure it can't happen again.

“Every issue that occurs out in the field with an airplane, our industry doesn’t actually point fingers at each other; we all rally around what happened, and if the manufacturer can contribute to fixing that, we will," Calhoun said.

In addition, Boeing's chief engineer Howard McKenzie said that airlines follow Boeing's maintenance guidelines for Boeing aircraft throughout their service lives.

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in New York. You can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun testifies before Senate: 5 takeaways