Boeing’s ability to end a costly strike and extra government scrutiny looks uncertain

AP Airlines Writer

Boeing’s critics often claim that two deadly jetliner crashes a few years ago and the blowout of a section of a third plane in January made clear the aircraft manufacturer cut corners and put profits above safety. The head of the Federal Aviation Administrationsaid Tuesday that while it’s not his job to assess Boeing’s finances, giving too little attention to safety hasn’t turned out well for the company. The observation might have been an understatement. Boeing has lost more than $25 billion since the start of 2019 and fallen far behind rival Airbus in orders and deliveries. A strike by the factory workers who assemble the company’s best-selling planes is further weighing on Boeing’s bottom line.