Airbus backs down on return-to-office after protests, sources say

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This has been a miserable year for Boeing. Not only has it struggled to cope with a safety and quality control crisis, it has lost billions of dollars following a strike by workers that paralysed production at two of its biggest factories. Even its space programme has been in trouble. Two astronauts were left stranded on the International Space Station in June after their Boeing Starliner capsule developed a potential fault, which would have made returning to Earth in it too dangerous. On top of all this, the company faces a crisis of confidence from within its own ranks, says Bjorn Fehrm, an aeronautical and economic analyst at industry consultants Leeham Company. "People in Boeing don't believe in words from top management any more," he says. Sam Mohawk is a 51-year-old quality assurance investigator at Boeing's factory in Renton near Seattle, a huge plant where the 737 Max is built. It is the company's best-selling aircraft, but one with a chequered safety record. Earlier this year Mr Mohawk came forward as a whistleblower, claiming that chaos on the factory floor in the years since the Covid-19 pandemic had led to thousands of faulty or "non-conforming" parts going missing, and potentially being fitted aboard aircraft that have since been sent to customers. "The whole system was just in shambles," he says of that period. "It [had] kind of just broken down." His allegations came to light in June when they were referred to during a congressional hearing in Washington DC into safety failures at the aerospace giant. During the session, Boeing's top bosses were accused by Republican Senator Josh Hawley of "strip-mining" the company for profit and cutting corners on safety to boost earnings. David Calhoun , who was Boeing's chief executive at the time, said he "didn't recognise" Mr Hawley's depiction of the company. "That is not the way we operate," Mr Calhoun said back then. "I am proud of every action we have taken." Since then, Boeing has appointed a new chief executive, Kelly Ortberg, who has pledged to "restore trust" in the business, overhaul its corporate culture and prioritise the safety of passengers. The company is also in the process of implementing a comprehensive safety and quality plan, which was launched earlier in the year. But based on Mr Mohawk, who still works at Boeing, the drive to build planes as quickly as possible to maximise revenues remains. The accountants, he insists, are "100%" running the operation. "Nothing has changed," says Mr Mohawk. "Our executives talk to the press and say, 'quality and safety is our number one priority'. But it's just the same." Boeing rejects Mr Mohawk's claims. It insists they have been thoroughly investigated and that none of them were found to be valid. In a statement, it said: "Boeing data systems do track parts, including non-conforming parts. The investigations into Mr Mohawk's claims found no evidence that defective parts were installed on Boeing planes, and none of the issues raised affected safety." Another Boeing employee called Nathan (not his real name), who works in the company's Everett factory in Washington state, where the 777 is built, describes low staff morale and corners being cut on the production line. Employees "don't always follow the rules because they feel the pressure from their manager, and so they are not taking steps to ensure their own safety", he claims. But Mike Dunlop, an aerospace industry veteran and author of a book about turning around failing businesses, argues that Boeing has in fact already begun the process of transforming itself by going back to basics. He believes many of Boeing's problems result from the arrogance of the company's management in the past, as it sought to cut costs in an effort to make more money. Recently, he says, there have been some improvements. "I've seen the biggest changes in the company since the 1960s. What Kelly Ortberg is doing is focusing back on their core principles, which is to build airplanes as effectively and safely as possible, and be a reliable supplier to the airlines." Arguably, the market needs Boeing to be healthy. It remains a huge company, employing more than 150,000 people directly, and countless more in supply chains around the world. It is a notable contributor to the US economy. But some insiders argue that it now has a credibility problem and needs to restore confiden