Boeing CEO reaffirms commitment to aircraft safety following Ethiopian air crash

SAN FRANCISCO, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Boeing Company will remain committed to its core value of safety that it has upheld in the business of aviation for more than 100 years, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg has said.

In an open letter released Monday night to airlines, passengers and the aviation community, Muilenburg addressed the growing concern about aircraft safety following the deadly crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 (ET302) that killed 157 passengers and crews aboard.

The Ethiopian tragedy was the second air crash involving the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft after the Indonesian Lion Air Flight 610 (JT610) went down in October in Indonesia, killing all 189 people on board.

Muilenburg said Boeing will go ahead with "relentless commitment to make safe airplanes even safer," and the company decides to release a software update and conduct pilot training for the 737 MAX that will address concerns discovered in the aftermath of the JT610 accident.

"We're united with our airline customers, international regulators and government authorities in our efforts to support the most recent investigation, understand the facts of what happened and help prevent future tragedies," he said.

He voiced understanding and regret over challenges for "Boeing customers and the flying public" after many countries across the globe have grounded their 737 MAX aircraft out of concern about the safety of passengers and pilots.

Muilenburg said Boeing has acted in cooperation with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, the Department of Transportation and the National Transportation safety Board on all issues relating to both Indonesian Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines accidents since the Lion Air accident occurred in October last year.

A few days ago, Ethiopian Transport Minister Dagmawit Moges said that data retrieved from the flight data recorders on the ET302 aircraft showed similarities to the JT610 crash.