Drinking alcohol while building planes might sound like a scene from a movie but it’s happening in real life. Well, only Boeing can tell it all.
Boeing is reportedly investigating two small, empty tequila bottles that were found on one of the planes set to serve as the next Air Force One.
Currently, there were two 747 jumbo jets are being modified by Boeing and they should meet the needs of securely carrying the US president and staff. The empty tequila bottles were found in one of the planes being modified.
Although it’s not a big part of Boeing’s business, it is a high-profile “halo” project that is important for bolstering the company’s battered reputation. So any concerns involving the president’s future jet are about the last thing Boeing needs.
The plane is being modified at a Boeing facility in San Antonio, and alcohol is banned at all Boeing factories.
Boeing would not confirm or deny the report, saying simply, “This is a personnel matter and for contractual reasons, we are unable to comment further.”
Boeing signed a contract with the government to modify the two planes in 2018 in a deal that will cost taxpayers $3.9 billion.
Ann Stefanik, chief of media operations for the US Air Force have released a statement, “Boeing informed the Air Force of a personnel matter related to the VC-25B program, There is no impact to the ongoing modification efforts of the two aircraft and The Air Force … monitors production quality closely and holds Boeing accountable to ensure the VC-25B program meets stringent quality control requirements.”
But this is still a big issue considering the company’s recent history of quality problems.
The aircraft builder’s reputation on quality has been badly damaged by numerous problems in recent years — most notably the 737 Max, which was grounded for 20 months after two fatal crashes that killed 346 people. The problems with the Max have cost the company more than $20 billion.
And in March 2019, just days after the second 737 Max crash, the Air Force’s top acquisition official said Boeing had a “severe situation” with flawed inspections of the tanker aircraft it built for the Air Force when trash and tools were found in some planes after they were delivered.
Eleven months later Boeing disclosed it had found similar debris in the fuel tanks of several 737 Max jets that had been sitting in storage during the grounding.
It was reported that the planes were initially due to be delivered in 2024, but earlier this year Boeing disclosed it was seeking to delay delivery by about a year, and likely would seek more money as a result. Boeing cited both pandemic-related delays and its firing of a now-bankrupt subcontractor that had been doing much of the interior work on the jets.
Sources: News Max, Yahoo News, The Wall Street Journal.
Facebook Has Banned Us!
The leftists at Facebook decided they didn’t like our message, so they removed our page and are censoring us. Help us fight back and subscribe to our newsletter so that you can stay up-to-date with everything Facebook doesn’t want you to see!
Disqus Comments