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Our commitment to safety: Building a stronger Boeing

Strengthening safety culture, transparency and processes to deliver measurable improvements across Boeing operations.

October 12, 2026 in Safety

Andrew Gauci speaks to Don Ruhmann beside a composite wing on the Boeing Australia factory floor. Andrew Gauci, general manager of Business Operations at Boeing Aerostructures Australia, briefs Don Ruhmann, chief aerospace safety officer, on a composite wing structure, demonstrating how disciplined engineering, strong oversight and our Positive Safety Culture ensure every component meets Boeing’s uncompromising safety and quality standards.

Safety is the foundation of everything we do at Boeing. Whether we are supporting commercial aviation, defense programs, space exploration or global services, our work touches people’s lives. As our commercial airplanes take off and land somewhere in the world every two seconds and our systems support critical national security and space missions, we recognize that our responsibility is immense. We are committed to ensuring that aerospace remains the safest mode of transportation in human history.

As Boeing’s chief aerospace safety officer, I work alongside thousands of professionals across our businesses who treat product safety as a personal responsibility. We maintain the firm position that safety is nonnegotiable; certifying and conforming the products we build and deliver is a commitment that cannot be compromised.

Combination bar and line graph charting Worldwide and Predicted Departures by Decade versus Accident Rate. The chart shows that as the decades pass the Departures increase linearly while the Accident Rate decreases linearly. The first Y axis is Rates per Million Departures and the second Y axis is Departures by Decade in millions. Combination bar and line graph charting Worldwide and Predicted Departures by Decade versus Accident Rate. The chart shows that as the decades pass the Departures increase linearly while the Accident Rate decreases linearly. The first Y axis is Rates per Million Departures and the second Y axis is Departures by Decade in millions.

While commercial aviation has made significant progress over the last four decades, progress is never finished. This is the worldwide departure and accident rate. The blue bars represent number of departures by decade, and the red line is the accident rate per million departures. These data tell a clear story. One that I tell when talking to our airlines, our regulators and our employees. The worldwide commercial fleet accident rate has improved steadily over time. If you compare the last two decades, the accident rate improved by roughly 35%, while departures increased by about 22%.

That is meaningful progress. It shows what can happen when an industry stays focused, learns from experience and continuously improves.

Driving operational excellence and culture change

Our commitment to safety is backed by concrete actions. We have implemented an enterprisewide Safety Management System (SMS) and Quality Management System (QMS) rooted in Positive Safety Culture.

Recent enhancements within Boeing Commercial Airplanes include:

  • Expanded training: We have added over 600 hours of new curriculum, including quality proficiency training, to our updated Foundational Training Centers.
  • Updated production process: The Move Ready Process confirms that the work, the people, the tools, and the environment are all ready before we move the airplane into the next position. Since 2024, when the process was put in place, around 11,500 line moves have been assessed and, in 4% of cases, the line was stopped for various reasons.
  • Reduced traveled work: We’re continuing to see strong progress in reducing traveled work, with 737 seeing a greater than 50% increase since 2024.
  • Strengthened oversight: We have bolstered supplier oversight and embedded teams to ensure part conformity. When we increase production rates, we follow a disciplined, rate-readiness process guided by our Safety & Quality Plan and key performance indicators monitored alongside the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.

Accountability and Speak Up

Culture change is central to our work. We have empowered employees to report safety, quality and compliance concerns through our Speak Up program, including anonymously, with protections against retaliation. Between 2023 and 2025, the number of Speak Up reports submitted by Boeing teammates has almost quadrupled.

As part of our Just Culture, we encourage transparency; our teammates are increasingly comfortable raising issues, which helps Boeing become a more transparent and safer workplace.

Our path forward

I look forward to regularly sharing updates on our progress, lessons learned, and the initiatives we are advancing to further reduce risk across the enterprise. This transparency is how we earn the trust of regulators, customers, employees and the flying public. We know words are not enough; we are focused on persistent, measurable improvements to ensure that every Boeing product meets the highest standard of safety and quality.

Thank you for your trust, your candor, and your commitment to making aerospace safer every day.

Don Ruhmann, Chief Aerospace Safety Officer