Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton opened up an investigation into a Boeing supplier’s DEI policies amid growing concern over the aircraft company’s safety and quality standards.
Paxton announced on Thursday that his office would be investigating Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, the company responsible for building much of Boeing’s 737 MAX 9 aircraft. Boeing’s 737 Max has come under intense scrutiny after a door plug on an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX flew off mid-flight in January, prompting federal investigations.
“The potential risks associated with certain airplane models are deeply concerning and potentially life-threatening to Texans,” Paxton said in a statement. “I will hold any company responsible if they fail to maintain the standards required by the law and will do everything in my power to ensure manufacturers take passenger safety seriously.”
Paxton’s office said Texas was investigating Spirit because “apparent manufacturing defects have led to numerous concerning or dangerous incidents, some of which occurred in-air.”
As part of the investigation, Paxton has requested that Spirit turn over documents pertaining to its DEI policies as part of a probe into whether its DEI initiatives are lawful and potentially compromising manufacturing standards.
In a letter to the supplier, Paxton asks for copies of the minutes to Spirit’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Council meetings as well as employee demographics prior to the enactment of its DEI policies.
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On its website, Spirit highlights its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. “Cultivating a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion directly aligns with our values and is a key enabler to achieving our overall business strategy to enhance performance,” Spirit says.
Paxton also asked for records of manufacturing defects in relevant products. All the documents must be produced by April 17.
The investigation comes just days after Boeing announced that top leadership, including CEO David Calhoun, would be leaving the company. Leadership leaving the company include board chair Larry Kellner resigning from his position in May and Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Stan Deal retiring immediately. Boeing Chief Operation Officer Stephanie Pope will take over from Deal, while Steve Mollenkopf will become the company’s new board chair.