Alaska Airlines CEO Confirms Significant Improvements in Boeing's Production

Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci noted recent improvements at Boeing after an incident involving a 737 MAX 9 jet. The airline has increased oversight of new planes, with staff auditing production at Boeing's factory. Minicucci does not expect to receive 737 MAX 10 airplanes until at least mid-2026.

Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci stated that the airline has observed 'significant improvement' in Boeing's production processes in recent months. This follows an incident where a door plug missing key bolts detached from a 737 MAX 9 jet at 16,000 feet.

'We saw a lot of significant improvement in the last few months,' Minicucci remarked in a recent interview, highlighting his discussions with Boeing's new CEO, Kelly Ortberg.

As Alaska Airlines anticipates its 12th new aircraft from Boeing this week, the airline has intensified its oversight of production. Minicucci indicated that they do not expect to receive the 737 MAX 10 models until at least mid-2026, pending Federal Aviation Administration certification of both the MAX 7 and MAX 10 variants.

(With inputs from agencies.)