AEROSPACE
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
New Chief Named at Boeing Jetliner Group: Ron Woodard was named president of Boeing’s commercial airline group, succeeding Dean Thornton, who is retiring early next year after leading the group since 1985. Woodard, 50, had been executive vice president of the division, which is the world’s largest maker of passenger jets. Boeing Jetliner Group and its parent company are based in Seattle. Boeing’s commercial airline group, like other aircraft builders, has been pummeled in recent years because the world’s airlines have sharply cut their orders for new aircraft.
