Things haven’t been so bad for Boeing lately. The American aircraft manufacturer, which had not fared particularly well in recent years, was even able to record a small prestigious success just before Christmas. Lufthansa has announced that it will order Boeing planes again. The German airline will initially order 40 Boeing aircraft of this type 737-Maximum fixed, plus options for 60 additional jets. It was a sign, given that since 2016 Lufthansa has relied exclusively on the planes of Boeing’s competitor, Airbus, for short and medium-haul routes. Does Lufthansa boss Carsten Spohr already regret the decision?
Boeing has been in crisis mode again since at least the weekend. At an altitude of almost 4,900 meters a dramatic accident occurred during a new one 737-Max 9 the American airline Alaska Airlines. A window, including the exterior wall and trim, burst Friday evening after an eight-week-old plane carrying 177 people took off, leaving a door-sized hole at the height of the rows of seats. The pilots managed to turn the car around and make an emergency landing. Fortunately, only a few minor injuries were reported. The US road safety authority NTSB said the cause of the crash was not yet clear.
Since then, the US aviation authority FAA has suspended the take-off of 171 aircraft of this type. “They will remain on the ground until the FAA is satisfied that they are safe,” the agency said Sunday. Other authorities around the world have also ordered reviews the European authority EASA, which also announced that no aircraft were currently affected in Europe. Most Boeing model airplanes 737 maximum 9 they are operated in the United States by United and Alaska Airlines. Turkish Airlines, Panama’s Copa Airlines and Aeromexico also imposed a temporary ban on flights. Lufthansa is told that the group currently does not have an aircraft of this type 737-Maximum9 operate. The specific model Maximum 9 I’m not one of the recently ordered ones either. From the model 737Maximum There are variations of different sizes.
A teacher discovered parts of the plane in his garden
The accident that occurred over the weekend was of considerable proportions: parts of the seat were missing next to the broken torso part and the headrest. The seat itself was empty during the flight. The broken part is apparently a panel installed on some planes in place of an additional emergency exit. These emergency exits are mainly available on low-cost airlines because they have more seats and require additional escape routes. This does not apply to jets with fewer seats. For passengers the area appears like a normal window seat.
The head of the US road safety authority NTSB, Jennifer Homendy, speaks about the Alaska Air accident.
(Photo: Craig Mitchelldyer/AP)
NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said it was fortunate that the accident was not more tragic. The discovery of the previously missing part of the plane may now provide clues as to what exactly happened. A teacher in the city of Portland, Oregon, discovered the piece in her backyard, the NTSB said. The authority will investigate the so-called door stopper.
A warning light had come on on the plane on the three previous flights. The lamp indicated the failure of the automatic pressure equalization system. These were “harmless” incidents that were reported and monitored. It is not known whether there is a connection between the lighting of the lamp and the demolition of the cabin part. However, the warnings led Alaska Airlines to no longer use the plane for transoceanic flights to Hawaii so it could quickly return to an airport in case of another flare-up.
Boeing chief Dave Calhoun wrote to company employees over the weekend that Boeing will work transparently with regulators to clarify the cause and prevent further accidents. THE 737 It is Boeing’s best-selling model. Calhoun’s goal of making Boeing as successful as it once was is now in jeopardy. Boeing shares plummeted after the crash.
Because it’s not the first problem. For the 737-Maximum A global flight ban took effect from April 2019 to the end of 2020, and in some countries even longer, following two crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia. Boeing’s reputation suffered greatly; the flight controls were found to have been developed too quickly and inadequately. The Americans wanted a competing model for the successful Airbus A320neoseries have. Boeing has it now Maximum on the instruction of aviation safety authorities in the United States and Europe, the plane can fly again with the modifications. No other similar incidents have occurred since then.
Boeing’s image has recovered somewhat recently, which has also led Lufthansa to order again. In November Boeing had received orders for 686 aircraft of the series for 2023. However, the US group has lost market share. So far in 2023, Airbus had sold more than 1,300 short- and medium-range planes, twice as many as Boeing.
