More safety checks for Boeing

It’s already another bad week for Boeing. On Monday, the US Federal Aviation Administration said it was opening a new investigation into whether the plane manufacturer failed to complete proper inspections on the wings of its 787 Dreamliner planes and falsified aircraft records. Hours later, the launch of its spacecraft – the CST-100 Starliner – was called off due to a problem with an oxygen relief valve. Last week, Joshua Dean became the second Boeing whistleblower to die this year. The 45-year-old, who died after a short illness, was a quality auditor at Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems and had warned of manufacturing defects in the 737 Max. Last month, another whistleblower testified to the US Congress that “unless action is taken, and leaders are held accountable, every person stepping aboard a Boeing airplane is at risk”. Airbus recently posted a 28 per cent increase in first-quarter profit thanks to increased aircraft production.

Further listening: Brace, brace: Boeing’s hard landing