Few companies have endured a more punishing few years than Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA). A series of crises, from grounded aircraft to safety scandals, left one of America's great industrial champions on its knees and its investors nursing years of frustration. But in recent months, something has been shifting, and this week delivered the clearest sign yet that the long road back might finally be leading somewhere.
That sign came on Monday, when U.S. aviation authorities finally certified a key member of Boeing's flagship 737 family, ending a review that stretched back the best part of a decade and removing one of the biggest overhangs that has dogged the company for years. With that hurdle cleared, Boeing can now get on with the business of turning its enormous order backlog into actual revenue.
