Boeing whistleblower alleges aircraft components had significant defects

By Zehra Nur Duz

ANKARA (AA) – A former quality inspector at Spirit AeroSystems, Boeing's primary supplier, has claimed that plane bodies produced by the firm frequently left the factory with significant defects.

Santiago Paredes, who worked for the Kansas-based firm from 2010 to 2022, told BBC in an exclusive interview published on Thursday that he frequently discovered as many as 200 flaws in components prepared for delivery to Boeing.

He claimed that his attempts to address these concerns often caused production delays, earning him the nickname "showstopper."

"I was finding a lot of missing fasteners, a lot of bent parts, sometimes even missing parts," he claimed.

Spirit said it "strongly disagreed" with the allegations.

"We are vigorously defending against his claims," said a spokesperson for the firm.

Boeing opted not to provide any comments.