Boeing’s Commercial Airplanes Chief Engineer is Retiring

According to a Seattle Times report, which was confirmed by CNBC, the chief engineer of Boeing’s Commercial Airplanes division is retiring.

John Hamilton had been leading the response to the company’s 737 Max crisis and had testified before Congress along with Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg.

Muilenburg had been removed by the company’s board as chairman in October so he can focus on running the company after the 737 Max crisis.

Taking over in his place will be Lynn Hopper, the company’s vice president of Engineering for Commercial Airplanes.
Head of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Stan Deal, and Boeing’s chief engineer, Greg Hyslop revealed the news in an internal memo to employees:

“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,” the memo read.

In a statement to CNBC, Deal and Hyslop said Hamilton has “exemplified” Boeing’s “values of safety, quality, and integrity” throughout his 35 years at the company. “Now, after a career dedicated to excellence, John is retiring,” their statement said. “His guidance over the past year caps an outstanding career that covered multiple programs and functions, including serving as chief project engineer for the 757, Next-Generation 737 and P-8A, leading the Aviation Safety organization, and finally as the BCA Engineering leader. John’s strong commitment to safety will be one of his lasting legacies.”

The Federal Aviation Administration has plans to review hundreds of new Boeing 737 Max planes individually before they can be delivered to customers.

Earlier this week United Airlines announced an order for 50 long-range Airbus jets.

Disclaimer: We have no position in Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) and have not been compensated for this article.