President Donald Trump phoned the head of Boeing ahead of the company’s announcement Monday that it was halting production of the 737 MAX, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday.
Trump called Boeing Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg on Sunday for details about the MAX production plans, the person said, confirming reports in US media.
Muilenburg assured Trump that the company’s plan to halt output on the troubled plane would not result in layoffs, the person told AFP.
The MAX has been grounded since mid-March following two deadly crashes that together killed 346 people.
Boeing announced Monday that it was shutting down production for an unspecified time, saying the move was necessary because the regulatory process to recertify the plane was taking longer than expected.
