Alaska CEO sees ‘significant improvement’ at Boeing after door plug incident

(Reuters) – Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci said the airline has seen “significant improvement” at troubled planemaker Boeing (NYSE:) in recent months after a door plug missing key bolts blew off one of the carrier’s new 737 MAX 9 jets at 16,000 feet in January.

“We saw a lot of significant improvement in the last few months,” Minicucci said in an interview, adding he spoke recently to new Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg.

Alaska Airlines, which is getting its 12th airplane in 2024 from Boeing this week, has stepped up oversight of new planes and has its own staff at the factory auditing production. Minicucci also said he does not expect to receive 737 MAX 10 airplanes until at least mid-2026. The Federal Aviation Administration has yet to certify either the MAX 7 or MAX 10 variants.