Ryanair CEO wants Boeing’s problems fixed amid C-suite shakeup

Ryanair Holdings (NASDAQ:RYAAY) Chief Executive Michael O’Leary said he doesn’t care who becomes the next head of Boeing (NYSE:BA) if the plane maker fixes its manufacturing issues, Reuters reported Thursday.

O’Leary made the comments the same week that Boeing (BA) announced a managerial shakeup as it works to recover from a major crisis that has raised questions about the safety of its planes. Ryanair (RYAAY) is the biggest European airline and one of Boeing’s (BA) most important customers.

Dave Calhoun, the beleaguered chief executive of Boeing (BA), on Monday said he would step down at the end of year. The company also named three-decade veteran Stephanie Pope as the new head of its commercial planes unit, a key role that could be a steppingstone to leadership of the entire company. A search is under way for the next CEO.

Speaking to reporters while visiting a Ryanair (RYAAY) training facility in Poland, O’Leary said he’d like to see Pope focus on Boeing’s (BA) factory operations in Seattle rather than its corporate headquarters near Washington, D.C.