Boeing's Ortberg Faces New Challenges as Boeing Rebuilds

Boeing's $50 billion crisis has been a major concern for the global airline industry and the US government. The company, which is one of only two manufacturers that can build modern wide-body passenger jets at scale, faced six years of proving it could no longer reliably build its core product.

The crisis was caused by Boeing's decision in 2005 to spin off much of its fuselage manufacturing into an independent supplier, Spirit AeroSystems. This decision put the physical construction of the 737's body outside Boeing's direct quality control.

Boeing's attempts to recover from this crisis have been led by Kelly Ortberg, a 64-year-old aerospace veteran who came out of retirement in August 2024. Ortberg has focused on changing the company's culture, rather than just its technical processes. He has implemented measures such as moving his own office presence to the factory floor, introducing a 'Speak Up' reporting programme to protect workers who flag defects, and reducing 'traveled work.'

One of Ortberg's most significant moves was the re-acquisition of Spirit AeroSystems in December 2025 for $8.4 billion. This reversed the 2005 decision and brought 737 fuselage manufacturing back under Boeing's direct quality control.