By Don C. Brunell

As we begin 2020 and a new decade, the Boeing Co. faces strong head winds which are major concerns for those of us living in the Pacific Northwest.

Things

have changed in the past year. In my first column of 2019, I wrote that Boeing

was poised to have its best year ever. It had strong tail winds propelling it.

It

would build upon a very successful 2018. Its 737 Max was selling like hot cakes

to hungry airlines and plans were in the works to expand production at the

Renton assembly plant.

The

new composite wing 777X would fly its maiden test flight and go into service in

2020.

Today,

Boeing is halting (hopefully temporarily) 737 Max production. It delayed flight

testing of its 777X and has a new chief executive officer, Dave Calhoun.

Until

the Federal Aviation Administration and other government regulators around the

world approve Boeing’s safety modifications, the aircraft will not return to

service. According to Bloomberg, there are about 500 grounded 737 Max jets

worldwide, with about 400 undelivered aircraft in storage.

The

company is stretched.

For

the airplane’s manufacturer, it’s all getting very expensive. The plane’s

continued grounding cost Boeing $900 million in the third quarter, bringing the

total to $9.2 billion, according to its Oct. 23 earnings report.

“Even

if no employees are laid off at Boeing, ceasing production will still cut into

the nation’s economic output because of Boeing’s huge footprint in the

manufacturing sector. Through October, the U.S. aerospace industry’s factory

output has fallen 17 percent compared with the same period last year, to $106.4

billion, in part due to previous 737 Max production cuts,” FOX 4 News, Dallas,

reported.

The

737 Max crisis has helped Boeing’s main competitor. Europe’s Airbus saw

deliveries surge 28 percent during the first half of the year. Boeing

deliveries fell 37 percent despite strong 787 sales and production.

For

Washington, a healthy and vibrant Boeing is vital to our state’s economy.

A

PricewaterhouseCoopers global study of aerospace manufacturing attractiveness

found the United States is top rated and within our country, Washington is the

best.

“Washington’s

economy and industry size are heavily tied to Boeing’s commercial aircraft

business,” it said.

Boeing

Commercial Airplane Co. is based in Renton.

PricewaterhouseCoopers

pointed out that our state also is home to 1,400 aerospace-related businesses

and has the highest concentration of aerospace jobs in the country.

Washington

topped the state rankings in categories of industry, infrastructure and

economy.  Texas finished second with its

strong economy and favorable tax policy.

It

has a more diverse aerospace manufacturing base than Washington, with Airbus,

Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Bell Helicopters, Textron and Gulfstream located

there.

Boeing

has mammoth manufacturing facilities in the Puget Sound region that are unlike

any other in the world. The 66,000 workers assemble every Boeing jet used by

airlines. Only Charleston, South Carolina, shares 787 production.

Once

back in service, airlines and their pilots must be confident the 737 Max is

safe to fly and the industry must convince passengers to fly in it.

Boeing

has queried thousands of travelers around the globe four times since May and

found that the skepticism surrounds the Max. Among U.S. travelers, 52 percent

said they would be willing to fly on the plane.

Boeing’s new CEO’s top priority is to convince regulators, airline customers, travelers and even Boeing employees that he has things back under control.

“It

will be difficult, and any missteps could send Boeing’s stock plummeting. The

risks outweigh the rewards for investors,” Barron’s reported.

Boeing

must restore its reputation by weathering the storms and finding strong tail

winds.  Failure is not an option.

Don C. Brunell is a business analyst, writer and columnist. He retired as president of the Association of Washington Business, the state’s oldest and largest business organization, and now lives in Vancouver. He can be contacted at [email protected].