It is no question that Boeing Co., the famous airplane manufacturer, has had a multitude of issues with many of their new planes. Boeing has been the largest airplane manufacturer for the last 100 years one having a reputation of high safety and occupational standards. This has led to some of the greatest inventions of the 20th and 21st centuries, including the 707, the 747, and of course the 737.
Following the crashes of the brand new 737 Max-8 aircraft, there began a trend that Boeing was not what it had been. The problem finally grew coming to a peak in early 2024 with the Alaska 737 Max-9 dropping a door mid-flight.
This incident was a result of pure negligence by Boeing as well as Spirit Aerospace (the company that made the door), there were multiple missing bolts when the door had been installed on the aircraft.
This incident put into question the safety of many of Boeing’s aircraft, which caused the FAA to begin strict oversight of every aircraft, not just 737’s, that left the production line throughout 2024.
Following other incidents including Boeing aircraft, the CEO of Boeing, David Calhoun was asked to step down and was subsequently replaced by Kelly Ortberg.
2024 was an extremely rough year for Boeing as they were no longer able to efficiently produce aircraft. Their numbers fell by 34%, dropping from 528 to just 348.
On top of that Boeing has had multiple set backs in the production of their 777X as well as the 737 Max-10 and 737-Max-7, three aircraft that have yet to be certified. The 777X which was expected to be put into service in 2019 has not yet been certified for commercial use. Despite Boeing trying to get the plane certified multiple flaws have been found in the jet delaying the manufacturing process.
In 2025, even with the election of a new president, there is no end in sight for the strict FAA overwatch. Boeing’s problems are expected to continue well into the future with problems with their aircraft keeping coming.
With no foreseeable end to their oversight Boeing must focus on two things above all else. They must get the 777X certified this year. Customers like Emirates, and Qatar Airways, have already voiced their frustration toward Boeing’s inability to produce the aircraft. These two Middle Eastern airlines rely heavily on large, dependable aircraft as they only operate from one airport. This means that there will not be enough space at these airports for their airplanes if they do not phase out small planes for large planes.
Large planes can carry three to five hundred people at a time while smaller planes can only carry one to two hundred. So, if you use larger planes that only take up one parking spot as opposed to two or three planes that take up multiple parking spots then you will have more space in the long run to grow a fleet an airline.
In addition to Middle Eastern carriers’ long time American customers like United, have also expressed their frustration toward Boeing. United who have operated the 737 since it was created have recently opted for the A321neo, which is manufactured by Airbus, Boeing’s chief competitor.
With that being said, the other thing that Boeing must focus on is the production of as many aircraft as possible. So much so that the FAA has to tell them to slow down, because if Boeing can not produce enough aircraft to keep their customers happy then the customers will eventually stop buying Boeing aircraft.
2025 is going to be the most critical year for Boeing in 21st century because if they can not produce aircraft effectively and safely then they will face a whole new host of challenges, in terms of economics and in terms of job security.
