Boeing Co (NYSE:BA, ETR:BCO) has been warned by one of its largest customers that it is the "last chance saloon" due to its recent spate of mechanical failures.
Tim Clark, the head of Emirates Airline, told the Financial Times that he had seen a "progressive decline" in Boeing’s performance and that Emirates would be sending engineers to monitor the plane maker's production lines.
Last week, Boeing chief executive Dave Calhoun acknowledged customers were angry after the recent incidents, adding “We will work to earn their confidence."
Clark said in the interview: "They have got to instil this safety culture which is second to none. They've got to get their manufacturing processes under review so there are no corners cut.
"I'm sure Dave Calhoun and [commercial head] Stan Deal are on that... this is the last chance saloon," he added.
In November, Emirates placed an order for nearly one hundred wide-body, long-haul Boeing 777 and 787 jets worth US$52 billion (£41.2 billion) at list prices.
At the same time, Clark also fired a broadside at Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC (LSE:RR.), which supplies Airbus, Boeing’s main rival, saying its engines for the A350-1000 were "defective" and Emirates would not order any planes until the issue was resolved.
Boeing has been under intense scrutiny since 5 January when a door panel of an Alaska Airlines short-haul 737 MAX 9 flew off mid-air, prompting a grounding of the aircraft.
Alaska and United Airlines Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:UAL), another big user of 737 MAX 9s, have lost hundreds of millions of dollars due to flight cancellations.
Ben Minicucci, the chief executive of Alaska Airlines' parent company Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK), later said that internal inspections of its planes had found “many” loose bolts, believed to be the cause of the door failure.
"My demand on Boeing is what are they going to do to improve their quality programmes in-house," he said adding he was "incredulous" that such an incident could have occurred.
Before the January incident, Boeing had been restoring its reputation after two fatal crashes in 2018 of 737-MAXs that killed 346 passengers and crew.