Boeing has come under fire from regulators, politicians, and some airline bosses after the January 5 incident on an Alaska Air flight sparked broader concerns over its manufacturing practices.

Mr Walsh said that while some in the industry were angry after the blow-out, Mr Calhoun and his leadership team had done well to take responsibility and commit to finding solutions.

“Boeing are taking the right measures,” Mr Walsh said. “I think they’ve responded much, much better to this than other events. I’ve heard people say you need a change in leadership. I disagree ... I’m confident that he [Mr Calhoun] will fix it.”

Mr Walsh said he didn’t expect Boeing’s safety problems to result in airlines ordering fewer of the manufacturer’s planes or prompt passengers to avoid booking tickets with airlines that use the 737 MAX 9 aircraft.

Mr Walsh was speaking a day before the start of the Singapore Airshow, Asia’s largest aviation event, where there is a buzz around the first trip outside Chinese territory for China’s homegrown passenger jet, the Comac (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China) narrow-body C919.

The C919, which is only certified in China where four are in operation, staged a fly-by in Singapore on Sunday.

Mr Walsh said he expected the C919 would mostly be used for the large Chinese domestic market and it could take “decades” before China was able to produce a jet capable of competing with Boeing and Airbus on the international stage.

“It’s impressive and it’s going to be interesting to see but I think it will be a bit of time before they can be seen as credible competitors,” he said.

The global aviation industry has been struggling for months with severe supply chain disruptions, as a post-pandemic travel boom after covid-era layoffs and shutdowns delayed delivery of everything from engines to windscreens.

• Reuters