Signage is displayed on the headquarters building of Boeing Co. in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., on Monday, April 27, 2009. Boeing Co. last week lowered its 2009 profit forecast less than analysts predicted, reaffirming the year’s delivery schedule even as the recession prompts airlines to defer orders and forces the planemaker to further delay a model.
Tim Boyle| Bloomberg | Getty Images
Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief engineer John Hamilton , who was leading the response to the 737 Max crisis, is retiring, CNBC confirmed Wednesday.
The new head of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Stan Deal, and Boeing’s chief engineer, Greg Hyslop broke the news in an internal memo obtained by The Seattle Times, which first reported the news:
“John had planned to retire last year, but we asked him to stay on to help us with the 737 MAX investigations and return to service efforts … We are immensely grateful to John for lending his expertise and leadership during a very challenging time.”
Hamilton testified before Congress along with Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg, as chairman in October so he can focus on running the company after the 737 Max crisis.
The is planning to review hundreds of new 737 Max planes individually before they can be delivered to customers, an added wrinkle into the already-delayed certification of the jetliners, grounded since mid-March after two fatal crashes.
Boeing executives have repeatedly said they expect regulators to sign off on the planes this quarter. On Nov. 11, Boeing said deliveries could resume as early as this month, a forecast that . But the FAA and its administrator, Steve Dickson, continue to say that the FAA has no set timeline to allow the planes to return to market, setting up a .
on Tuesday announced an order for 50 long-range jets, handing another victory from a U.S. airline to ‘s European rival.
The carrier is the latest of several U.S. airlines to opt for the planes. and have both agreed to order some of the long-range single-aisle planes that Airbus is developing.
This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.