Relaxed and comfortable

Outgoing Boeing boss gives one of his last media interviews

I have learned over the decades not to be definite when I don’t know. ” That is how outgoing Boeing’s chairman and CEO Jim McNerney summed up his response to questions about the timeline for the so-called “757 replacement” aircraft during a small media round table at the Paris Airshow.

McNerney, chatting before the announcement of his replacement after 10 years at the helm, emphasised that innovation is the company’s “most fundamental strategy which differentiates us from our primary and emerging competitors. ” “The reason we have such a big backlog is that innovation has made sense to our customers. ” But innovation on the 787 has been costly to both Boeing and its customers and that experience is shaping a new strategy going forward. McNerney says the company wants to innovate earlier and in a less risky way.