Boeing ‘probably shouldn’t have taken’ Trump-negotiated Air Force One deal, CEO says
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CEO David Calhoun said, “Air Force One, I’m just going to say a very unique moment, a very unique conversation. A very unique set of threats that Boeing probably shouldn’t have taken.” CEO David Calhoun said. “But we are where we are.”
Boeing made the deal in 2018 after Trump publicly criticized the program’s costs, saying “cancel the order!” And amid Trump’s harsh remarks on China, which jeopardized the results for Boeing and other US exporters.
Earlier this month, the Air Force attributed the delay to a combination of “factors including Covid 19 epidemics, internal supplier transfers, manpower limitations, wiring design timelines and test execution rates.” ” Boeing declined to comment on the delay.
Calhoun said the corona virus epidemic is complex because only a limited number of workers have the high level of safety clearance required to work on the project.
“When the coveted line goes down or a group of workers goes out, we don’t have a whole bunch of clean people to step into their shoes,” he said.
“It’s really difficult for the VC-25B where clearance is very high,” he said, using the military model number to describe the jets.
Other factors have complicated the Trump-Boeing relationship. The company faced business pressure from its harsh criticism of China. After a couple of fatal crashes, the president personally announced the grounding of Boeing’s 737 MAX jet – a matter usually handled by the Federal Aviation Administration. And his acting defense minister, who eventually gave up his permanent job following allegations of domestic violence, was a former Boeing executive.
