Troubles Mount For Boeing: Aviation Giant Faces First Cancellation Of 737 MAX Orders Post Global Grounding

Indonesia flag carrier Garuda Indonesia is considering to rescind its order for 49 Boeing Co 737 MAX jets which have been mired in controversy after two deadly crashes in recent months, reports Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

Garuda CEO Gusti Ngurah Askhara Danadiputra said that the airline had sent a mail to Boeing saying that they “want to cancel” the contract. The company spokesperson Ikhsan Rosa Rosan added that the decision to cancel “is in line with the desires of consumers who have lost confidence in the Boeing 737 MAX 8.”

While Garuda had placed an order for 50 MAX jets in 2014, it has only taken the delivery of one till now. The remaining 49 were scheduled to be delivered through 2030.

The 737 Max jet’s air suitability was brought into question when an Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed, resulting in 157 fatalities. This was preceded by the Lion Air Flight 610 crash in which all 189 members on board perished. Investigators believe that the circumstances of the Ethiopian Airlines crash are similar to those of the Lion Air crash. Investigations into both accidents are underway.

Missed Two Safety Features

According to a New York Times (NYT) report, Boeing reportedly sold the737 Max planes that crashed in Indonesia and Ethiopia without two safety features - an angle of attack indicator and an angle of attack disagree light. Boeing offers these features to airlines at an additional cost.

Following the Ethiopian airline crash, India banned the 737 Max from its airspace.

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