Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has stepped down as a Boeing board member over the aviation giant’s pursuit of government support in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the company disclosed on Thursday.
“I cannot support a move to lean on the federal government for a stimulus or bailout that prioritises our company over others,” Haley wrote in a resignation letter published in the company’s filing to stock market regulators.
“I have long held strong convictions that this is not the role of government,” she added.
The embattled airline was already facing a string of struggles before the coronavirus outbreak.
It has been in crisis after two crashes of its 737 MAX in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed 346 people and led authorities around the world to ground the model last March.
The fallout from the two crashes led Boeing to halt production of the plane in January.
The company said in the filing that it is currently in discussion with policymakers and the private sector “to address the near-term liquidity needs of the aerospace, travel, and other sectors affected by the current COVID-19 crisis.”
Haley has been a Boeing board member since April 2019.
Her resignation will be effective immediately. (dpa/NAN)