Willie
Walsh, the Director General of the International Air Transport Association
(IATA), has given his support to the leadership of the Boeing Co.
Dave
Calhoun, the CEO of the airline manufacturing company, has faced criticism and
pressure since the January 5 incident in which a door panel blew off an Alaska
Airlines plane midflight.
IATA
is the largest and main trade organization that represents airlines.
Calhoun
is the right man
at the right time
to lead the company during its safety issues, Walsh said, despite overall
concerned about its manufacturing, and not just the 737 Max 9 model at the
center of the controversy.
"Boeing are taking the right measures. I think they've
responded much, much better to this than other events," Walsh told
Reuters.
"I've heard people say you need a change in
leadership," Walsh continued. "I disagree. I'm confident that he
(Calhoun) will fix it."
Walsh also said he didn’t expect a drop off in business from
airlines that use Boeing.
Although there is a big buzz at the current Singapore Air Show
around the Chinese-made C919, Walsh said that he is impressed by the plane but he
doesn’t expect the Chinese to compete with Boeing or Airbus anytime soon.
"It's impressive and it's going to be interesting to see
but I think it will be a bit of time before they can be seen as credible
competitors," he said.
Whether his words of support for Boeing and Calhoun will have an
impact on the company, including its stock price, remains to be seen.
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