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Dennis Muilenburg resigned from the presidency of Boeing following the 737 MAX crisis. REUTERS / Jim Young / Pool

Denis Muilenburg, the boss of the American aircraft manufacturer Boeing, has resigned while the company is still entangled in a scandal around his plane 737 MAX banned from flying after several accidents at the end of 2018.

" Boeing chief financial officer Greg Smith will serve as interim chief executive during the short transition period " before David Calhoun, currently president, takes over the helm, the aircraft manufacturer Boeing said.

" The board has decided that a change of direction is necessary to restore trust in the company as it strives to re-establish ties with regulators, customers and all other stakeholders " continues the American aircraft manufacturer. Denis Muilenburg had already had to leave his post as director of the board of directors in November 2019.

737 MAX malfunctions

For a year now, the American manufacturer has been following disappointments following the accident of two of its 737 MAX planes which are linked to a malfunction of the aircraft's MCAS anti-stall system. In an unprecedented decision, the star aircraft of the American manufacturer has been prohibited from flying since March 13, 2019.

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The various technical and administrative investigations have highlighted numerous dysfunctions, notably in the certification process, which has splashed at the same time the American Federal Aviation Agency (FAA).

Around € 9 billion in losses

So far, Dennis Muilenburg has refused to resign, saying it is his duty to overcome the crisis. But nine months after the flight ban, the aviation safety authorities have still not given the green light to return the aircraft to service. Worse, Boeing announced on December 16 that it would stop manufacturing the 737 MAX.

The American group has so far lost nearly 9 billion euros with this crisis. But the financial damage could be much higher according to Yann Cochennec, journalist specializing in aeronautics speaking on RFI . " It is clear that the loss on their turnover is much more than $ 16 billion," he explains. And the shutdown of production in 2020 is an additional melting. "

►Read also: New setback for the American Boeing after a failed mission in space

In addition to these significant financial losses, the Boeing space capsule, Unmanned Starliner, landed Sunday December 22 in a desert in the western United States, concluding its test mission in orbit on a semi failure when it should have docked at the International Space Station (ISS).

(With AFP)