By Shivansh Tiwary and Nathan Gomes

March 26 (Reuters) - Boeing ( BA ) CEO David Calhoun

will leave the troubled aircraft maker at the end of the year,

leaving a difficult turnaround job to his yet-to-be-named

successor.

Calhoun - a veteran crisis manager - was hired in 2020 to

steer the planemaker out of a reputation setback after crashes

in 2018 and 2019 killed nearly 350 people and caused the

grounding of its best-selling 737 MAX jet.

But his tenure might not join the list of his successful

earlier stints including at Caterpillar ( CAT ), General

Electric ( GE ) and media company Nielsen, leaving when the

iconic planemaker is struggling to resolve production issues and

safety concerns.

The Jan. 5 mid-air panel blowout was the most recent in a

spate of safety issues that have shaken the industry's

confidence in Boeing ( BA ) and hampered its ability to increase

production to meet high demand for jets.

COMPETITION

Under Calhoun's leadership, the company has struggled to

keep pace with competitor Airbus.

Boeing ( BA ) stock has lost 43% of its value since Calhoun took

the top job on Jan. 13, 2020, underperforming the benchmark S&P

500 index.

Rival Airbus added more than 26% to its market cap during

the same period.

While both planemakers have received bumper orders for their

jets as airlines try to cater to a post-pandemic travel boom,

Boeing's ( BA ) production and quality issues have frustrated

customers.

Airbus, meanwhile, has been steadily growing single-aisle

market share with its A320 jet family in the wake of multiple

crises involving the MAX.

There have, however, been some bright spots.

The Arlington, Virginia-based planemaker's revenue has edged

past Airbus over the past four years.

Airbus and Boeing ( BA ) reported a negative cash flow in 2020 as

the COVID-19 pandemic brought the sector to a halt after

restrictions across the world dented demand for air travel and,

thus, new airplanes.

Airbus experienced better cash flow performance in 2021 and

2022. Boeing ( BA ) performed better in the last year and 2020.

However, Boeing ( BA ) expects to burn more cash than expected in

the current quarter as fewer deliveries, lower production

volumes at its commercial division and pressure on working

capital affect its free cash flow.