Emirates President Tim Clark has called the most recent incident involving the Boeing 737 Max as another quality lapse by the US-based plane manufacturer, which has drawn the aviation veteran’s ire in the past over engine concerns.

 “They’ve had quality control problems for a long time now, and this is just another manifestation of that,” Clark told Bloomberg, following the most recent incident. Clark further added: “I think they’re getting their act together now, but this doesn't help.”

Emirates is one of the largest customers for Boeing, placing aircraft orders worth $52 billion across 95 jets during the Dubai Airshow in November, which included 55 777-9 and 35 777-8 jets.

Despite the setback, Clark told Bloomberg he remained optimistic that the whole thing was “solvable” and “salvageable.”

His comments come days after a January 5 incident where a part of a Boeing 737 Max operated by Alaska Airlines separated in-flight from its fuselage, forcing the carrier to make an emergency landing.

 Following the incident, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recommended operators of certain 737 MAX 9 airplanes to temporarily remove the aircraft from service to address a manufacturing issue that could affect the operation of a backup power control unit.

 The UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) also issued a statement confirming that none of the airlines in the country were operating any of the Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft affected by the technical malfunction, the state-backed news agency reported.

Carrier flydubai, which operates three Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft, further confirmed its planes were not affected. The Dubai-based airline also has a $11 billion order book for 30 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, which was placed during the airshow last year.

On Monday, a Reuters report quoted the US National Transportation Safety Board saying it was uncertain if a recovered cabin panel that blew off the Alaska Airlines plane was properly attached or if bolts had been installed.

United Airlines and Alaska Airlines both have reported they had found loose parts on multiple grounded MAX 9 aircraft.

(Writing by Bindu Rai, editing by Brinda Darasha)