Boeing Max problem

Travel News Update likes to look ahead.  The panel loss incident with an Alaksa Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 out of Portland on 5 January does have serious future implications.   

The aircraft decompressed and all 171 passengers and six crew members survived the incident.

When will Boeing decide that the 737, a hugely matured 1954 Boeing 707 (same basic fuselage) has been developed enough and seriously plan for a new 2030s aircraft?  They have tried before and abandoned the programme.

Boeing’s new aircraft programme is completely behind schedule with the 777x launched in November 2013, and maiden flight not until January 2020.  British Airways is a lead customer with first delivery now being suggested for 2025.

Boeing thought they were being clever with a very flexible hull design which allowed for a door to be inserted in maximum capacity 737s and for it to be a normal body panel (plug) in more standard aircraft.     

The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) was overwritten after the accident. The CVR on the aircraft records a two-hour loop, and the circuit breaker was not pulled after the aircraft landed to stop the recording.

On 11 January, six passengers filed a class-action lawsuit against Boeing, citing injuries to passengers and emotional trauma.

To date nearly 17,000 Boeing 737s have been built.  As of December 2023 11,324 are operational.  With Airbus the order book is for 18,460 A320 family aircraft and 11,263 delivered, of which 10,562 aircraft are in service with more than 350 operators.  

www.airbus.com

www.boeing.com

Index/Home page
 

READERS' COMMENT

All comments are filtered to exclude any excesses but the Editor does not have to agree with what is being said. 200 words maximum

No one has commented yet, why don't you start the ball rolling?