Boeing fired the chief executive in charge
at the time the 737 Max was developed,
Dennis Muilenburg. The company agreed in a
settlement of a lawsuit by shareholders to add
a board member with a background in aviation
or aerospace engineering or product safety and
create a safety ombudsman’s office.
Boeing, headquartered in Chicago, was
required to redesign the system during a
process overseen by an unusually broad array of
regulators from the United States, Europe China
and the Middle East.
China has the largest 737 Max fleet after the
United States, with 97 aircraft operated by 13
carriers before the suspension, according to
state media.
China is especially important to Boeing and its
European rival, Airbus Industrie, because they
are counting on its expanding travel market
to propel sales growth. North American and
European demand are forecast to be flat in
coming decades.
In January, Boeing agreed to a $2.5 billion
settlement with the U.S. Justice Department
to avoid criminal prosecution for misleading
regulators about safety of the Max. Most of the
money will go to airlines that bought the jets.