SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Boeing's Chief Executive Officer Dennis Muilenburg has stepped down and current Chairman David Calhoun was named by the Board of Directors as his successor, the U.S. aircraft manufacturer said on Monday.

File photo: AFP

Boeing said Calhoun would take over as the new chief executive and president as of Jan. 13, 2020, and he will remain a member of the board.

It also said board member Lawrence Kellner will become non-executive Chairman of the Board effective immediately.

"A change in leadership was necessary to restore confidence in the company moving forward as it works to repair relationships with regulators, customers, and all other stakeholders," the company said.

Muilenburg's departure came as the aircraft giant struggles to regain the trust of regulators, customers and the public after two deadly crashes of its 737 MAX jetliner that killed a total of 346 people aboard.

Boeing has been grappling with a tumultuous year following a series of setbacks including aftermath of the 737 MAX crashes, the global grounding of the company's best selling commercial jet, the delay of the plane's re-certification process by the U.S. federal regulators, as well as public anger over its alleged profit-first company culture over aviation safety.

Muilenburg was believed to be responsible for all these problems that have happened during his tenure.

Congressman Peter DeFazio from Oregon state, who is chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and led the committee's hearing over the 737 MAX crashes in October, agreed with Muilenburg's removal on Monday.

"Based on what we've discovered so far in our investigation into the design, development and certification of the Boeing 737 MAX, it's clear Dennis Muilenburg's ouster was long overdue," DeFazio said in a statement.

"Under his watch, a long-admired company made a number of devastating decisions that suggest profit took priority over safety," he added.

Senator Richard Blumenthal from Connecticut state also criticized Muilenburg for bad management of the company that failed to give enough attention to air safety.

"Mr. Muilenburg should have gone long ago. It is right to remove a CEO who put profits above all else, but it won't cure Boeing's culture of safety secrecy. Rebuilding credibility at Boeing requires a complete management house cleaning," he tweeted.

After Boeing announced its leadership shakeup on Monday, the world's largest aircraft maker has sent the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) additional documents that contain further "troubling" messages from Mark Forkner, a former chief technical pilot for the MAX, The Seattle Times quoted sources familiar with the matter as saying.

Forkner's disclosure about the problems with the plane's flight control system that was blamed for the two deadly air crashes has caused outrage. He asked an FAA official in 2016 to drop it in pilot manuals and training guidelines.

As part of its efforts to regain public trust, Boeing said its new leadership will lead the company with "a renewed commitment to full transparency, including effective and proactive communication with the FAA, other global regulators and its customers."

Calhoun said he "strongly" believes in the future of Boeing and the 737 MAX, vowing to lead the 150,000-strong company to "create the future of aviation."

Also on Monday, Boeing appointed Niel Golightly as the company's senior vice president of communications, who will assume office on Jan. 1, 2020.

"Golightly, 61, will report to interim CEO Greg Smith initially, and then to President and CEO David Calhoun from Jan. 13 onward," Boeing said.

Smith, who is Boeing's chief financial officer, will serve as the interim CEO during the transition period.