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Observer
3 days ago
- General
- Observer
What you need to know about the Air India Boeing Dreamliner crash
The crash of an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad city, killing all but one of the 242 people on board, is the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. At least 30 people were also killed on the ground as the airliner crashed into a medical college hostel near the airport. The crash poses a fresh challenge for Air India, which has long sought to become a "world-class airline", and Boeing, which is working to restore public trust after a series of safety and production crises. The descent of the plane starts roughly 17 seconds after takeoff. There is no fire visible around the engine or elsewhere when the plane appears to start going down. There were 169 Indians, 53 Britons, 7 Portuguese, and one Canadian among the passengers on board. Twelve crew members were also on the plane. The only survivor was Viswashkumar Ramesh, 40, who was in seat 11A, near the emergency exit. Dozens of anxious family members are waiting to collect bodies of loved ones as doctors work to gather dental samples and do DNA profiling to identify bodies badly charred. EARLY INVESTIGATION Air India and the Indian government are looking at issues linked to engine thrust, flaps, and why the landing gear remained open. The black boxes, crucial to the crash probe, have been recovered. India's aviation safety watchdog has asked Air India for the training records of the pilots and dispatchers, while asking flying schools to conduct training compliance checks. Officials from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and U.S. Federal Aviation Administration officials, as well as Boeing and GE, have surveyed the crash site. An inspection of Air India's 787 fleet did not reveal any major issues, but the Indian aviation watchdog raised concerns about recent maintenance-related issues reported by the airline and advised the carrier to "strictly adhere to regulations". TRAGIC TALES The plane hit a college hostel building. When Reuters visited, some steel tumblers and plates containing food lay on the few tables that were left intact. Wheels and other parts of the aircraft were embedded in the walls. Ravi Thakor, a cook at the college hostel, and his wife have been praying for a 'second miracle' - just like the survival of the sole passenger - as he searches for his two-year-old daughter, whom he had rocked to sleep before stepping out 30 minutes before the crash to deliver lunch boxes. Lawrence Christian, a 30-year-old working in Britain, had flown to India to bury his father, but just two weeks later, his family will have to bury him. His grandmother grieved the loss of "light of our home." INSIDE AIR INDIA Boeing Commercial Airplanes' head Stephanie Pope visited India and met Air India Chair N. Chandrasekaran at the airline's headquarters. Chandrasekaran also held a town hall meeting with 700 staff saying the Tata Group-owned airline should use the crash as a catalyst to build a safer airline. In another incident, an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plane bound for New Delhi returned to its origin of Hong Kong after takeoff on June 16 following a technical issue.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Boeing CEO says he wants to crank up 737 MAX production rate through rest of year
By Dan Catchpole (Reuters) -Boeing aims to increase production of its best-selling 737 MAX jets to 42 aircraft per month in the next few months and to boost output to 47 a month in early 2026, Chief Executive Kelly Ortberg said on Thursday. The U.S. planemaker's share price jumped 5% after Ortberg said at the Bernstein Strategic Decisions conference that he hoped to have production at 47 a month by the end of 2025. A few minutes later, he corrected his comments, saying that he expects the company to be getting ready to increase production to that level by the end of the year, not reach that level. Boeing is trying to stabilize production at 38/month, where it was capped by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in 2024 after a midair accident put the planemaker's safety and production quality program under new scrutiny. Production defects on the 737 program are down by 30%, he said. "Virtually every one of our customers is reporting a higher quality of airplane at delivery." Increasing production is critical to getting Boeing back to being cash positive, which Ortberg has previously said he expects to achieve in the second half of the year. It burned through $2.3 billion in cash during the first quarter. "I think the financial performance will follow the production performance of the company, and I think we need to think about it that way," Ortberg said. The company is making progress on certifying the smallest and largest MAX variants with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, he said. The MAX 7 and MAX 10 have been delayed in part due to concerns with the engine de-icing system. The company should finish critical testing of its fix by July, allowing time to certify the aircraft by the end of the year, he said. Boeing's backlog includes nearly 1,200 orders for the 737 MAX 10 and 332 orders for the MAX 7. Ortberg also said that Chinese airlines are set to resume taking deliveries of Boeing aircraft in June. China had stopped taking deliveries in April in retaliation to tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. Boeing expects the impacts of the tariffs to be less than $500 million, he said. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Boeing aims to crank up 737 MAX production to 47 a month by year end, CEO says
(Reuters) - Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said on Thursday that he wants to crank 737 MAX production up from mid-30s a month now to 47 by the end of the year. Speaking at a Bernstein conference, he said that the company aims to increase production of its best-selling airplane to 42 a month "by midyear." Boeing 737 production currently is capped at 38 a month, a limit imposed by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in 2024 after a midair accident put the planemaker's safety and production quality program under new scrutiny. Ortberg also said that Chinese airlines are set to resume taking deliveries of Boeing aircraft in June. China had stopped deliveries in April in retaliation to tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. (This story has been refiled to add dropped words in the headline)
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Boeing CEO says aims to crank up 737 MAX production to 47 a month by year end
By Dan Catchpole (Reuters) - Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said on Thursday that he wants to crank 737 MAX production up from mid-30s a month now to 47 by the end of the year. Speaking at a Bernstein conference, he said that the company aims to increase production of its best-selling airplane to 42 a month "by midyear." Boeing 737 production currently is capped at 38 a month, a limit imposed by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in 2024 after a midair accident put the planemaker's safety and production quality program under new scrutiny. Ortberg also said that Chinese airlines are set to resume taking deliveries of Boeing aircraft in June. China had stopped deliveries in April in retaliation to tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
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Business Standard
29-05-2025
- Automotive
- Business Standard
Boeing targets year-end certification for 737 MAX 7 and MAX 10 jets: CEO
Boeing expects to finish certification of its best-selling 737 MAX family by the end of the year, CEO Kelly Ortberg said in an interview with trade publication Aviation Week published on Wednesday. The company has been trying for several years to gain certification for the smallest and largest MAX variants from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. The MAX 7 and MAX 10 have been delayed in part due to concerns with the engine de-icing system. Ortberg told Aviation Week that the U.S. planemaker hopes to finish certification this year, clearing the way to start deliveries of the MAX 7 and MAX 10, "two airplanes that are very, very important to our customers and our backlog.� Boeing's backlog includes nearly 1,200 orders for the 737 MAX 10 and 332 orders for the MAX 7. United Airlines Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Nocella this month told reporters that the company does not expect to take delivery of MAX 10s until 2027 at the earliest. Alaska Airlines officials have said they do not expect to receive the variant until at least mid-2026. Ortberg also said in the Aviation Week interview that Boeing was making progress on certifying the 777-9, the company's largest jetliner in production. When the program was announced in 2013, Boeing planned to start deliveries in 2020. However, it is still in flight testing. Ortberg has previously said publicly that he expects deliveries to start next year.
