Boeing replaced the head of its commercial airplane unit Tuesday as the manufacturer scrambles to convince regulators to allow its 737 Max plane back in service after two fatal crashes that killed 346 people. Kevin McAllister is the senior-most executive to leave in the wake of the catastrophes. The commercial airplane division has been immersed in a crisis for nearly a year following the first of two 737 Max crashes. A second 737 Max went down less than five months later, prompting a worldwide grounding of Boeing's bestselling aircraft. All 346 people aboard the two flights were killed. McAllister, who had led the unit since 2016, is being replaced by Stan Deal, a three-decade Boeing employee who most recently led its global services business, Boeing said. The leadership change comes less than two weeks after Boeing's board stripped CEO Dennis Muilenburg of his chairman role, saying the move would allow him to better focus on getting the Max planes back to service.

The commercial airplane unit is key to Boeing. It accounted for 60% of Boeing's more than $101 billion in revenue last year. "We're grateful to Kevin for his dedicated and tireless service to Boeing, its customers and its communities during a challenging time, and for his commitment to support this transition," Muilenburg said in a release. Boeing's chief information officer, Ted Colbert, will run the Boeing services unit. Boeing's new chairman David Calhoun, a Blackstone executive and former General Electric executive, said the board "fully supports" the new appointments.

Aerial photo showing Boeing 737 Max airplanes parked at Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington, October 20, 2019. Gary He | Reuters