Airlines start to rethink Boeing 737 orders

A number of airlines may reconsider plans to purchase Boeing 737 MAX following the second crash in five months, Report informs citing Bloomberg.

Kenya Airways Plc is reevaluating proposals to buy the latest version of the single-aisle workhorse and could switch to Airbus SE’s rival A320 or upgauge to Boeing’s larger 787 Dreamliner, Chairman Michael Joseph said by email.

“We will carefully follow the developments around the 737 Max,” Joseph said. “No decision has been taken yet.”

Meanwhile, Indonesia’s Lion Air firms up moves to drop a $22 billion order for the 737 in favor of the Airbus model, according to a person with knowledge of the plan. One of the carrier’s Max jets crashed on Oct. 29, souring relations with Boeing after the manufacturer pointed to maintenance issues and human error as the underlying cause, even though the plane’s pilots had been battling a computerized system that took control following a sensor malfunction.

Meanwhile, Lufthansa Group has placed an order for 20 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, and 20 more Airbus A350-900 but these are the long-haul aircraft. The total amount of the order is estimated at $12 billion.

Sunday’s loss of an Ethiopian Airlines 737, in which 157 people died, bore similarities to the Asian tragedy, stoking concern that a feature meant to make the upgraded Max safer than earlier planes has actually made it harder to fly.