New York (AFP)

Boeing's new CEO began work at the aviation giant on Thursday, vowing a personal presence on the factory floor so as to be closer to operations.

Kelly Ortberg, the former head of Rockwell Collins who was named CEO of Boeing two weeks ago, said he would be based in Seattle "so that I can be close to the commercial airplane programs," he wrote in a message to employees released by the company.


"In fact, I'll be on the factory floor in Renton today, talking with employees and learning about challenges we need to overcome, while also reviewing our safety and quality plans," Ortberg said.

"Soon I'll be visiting many of our sites and I look forward to meeting with teammates around the world."

"I will be transparent with you every step of the way," Ortberg promised, with frequent and regular reports offering comments on progress and areas of improvement.

Ortberg said he is proud to be part of Boeing.

"While we clearly have a lot of work to do in restoring trust, I'm confident that working together, we will return the company to be the industry leader we all expect," he said.