Published
4 years agoon
LE BOURGET, France — Boeing executives apologized Monday to airlines and families of victims of 737 Max crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia, as the U.S. plane maker struggles to regain the trust of regulators, pilots and the global traveling public.
Some victims’ families welcomed Boeing’s gesture. Others called it too little, too late.
Boeing was in a visibly contrite mood at the opening of the Paris Air Show, where safety was on many minds as the global aviation elite gathered to showcase and trade cutting-edge, costly technology.
“We are very sorry for the loss of lives” in the Lion Air crash in October and Ethiopian Airlines crash in March, Kevin McAllister, CEO of Boeing’s commercial aircraft, told reporters. A total of 346 people were killed in the disasters.
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McAllister also said “I’m sorry for the disruption” to airlines from the subsequent grounding of all Max planes worldwide, and to their passengers facing summer travel disruptions.“Now they have apologized,” said Ningsi Ayorbaba, a mother of three whose husband Paul Ferdinand Ayorbaba was killed in the Lion Air crash. “I hope this is a good signal” for families like hers that have filed lawsuits against Boeing.
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Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde Gebremariam said only that Boeing’s apology “is consistent with our opinion.”French President Emmanuel Macron, center, French Defense Minister Florence Parly, left, and Eric Trappier, Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation, attend the Paris Air Show on Monday. (Benoit Tessier/Pool via AP)
In addition to safety concerns, the global economic slowdown and trade tensions are weighing on the mood at the air show.
Boeing announced only lackluster orders at the start of the show, while rival Airbus announced a bevy of new sales and launched a new long-range single-aisle jet, beating Boeing to a market that both aviation giants predict will grow.
In the biggest new plane announcement expected at Le Bourget, Airbus formally launched its long-range A321XLR. The plane should will be ready for customers in 2023 and be able to fly up to 4,700 nautical miles.
Chief salesman Christian Scherer wouldn’t say how much the plane would cost to develop.
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