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Home » News » Three Airlines, Three Very Different Approaches To 737 MAX Tragedy
BoeingNews

Three Airlines, Three Very Different Approaches To 737 MAX Tragedy

Matthew Klint Posted onMarch 18, 2019November 14, 2023 7 Comments

The crash of 737 MAX 8 jetliner in Ethiopia two weeks ago has evoked starkly different reactions depending on who you ask. Airlines have reacted in the same way. While Garuda mulls cancellation, flydubai digs in, and Norwegian fumes.

We’re still too early in the aftermath of the tragedy to understand what precisely happened to cause the deadly wreck. While evidence increasingly ties the Ethiopian crash to the same issued that plagued a Lion Air 737 MAX 8 that crashed months earlier, both accidents may have been avoided with better pilot training. French authorities have analyzed black box recordings and we should soon know more about what happened.

But airlines have responded to this incident in very different ways. Let’s take a look at how Garuda Indonesia, flydubai, and Norweigan have responded.

Garuda Indonesia

a plane flying over an island
Garuda Indonesia

The flag carrier of Indonesia has ordered 20 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. In the aftermath of the two crashes, including one on Indonesian soil, Garuda is considering what to do with open order. CEO Ari Askhara told reporters on Thursday:

Garuda is reconsidering its upcoming order of 20 Boeing 737 MAXs after the two Boeing crashes.

But no final decision has been made (Askhara added that Garuda will wait for the U.S. FAA to conclude its own investigation). In what may be a reprieve for Boeing, Garuda would likely convert its 737 MAX order to 787 Dreamliners. The threat of cancellation may also simply be a bargaining chip.

flydubai

flydubai

Meanwhile, flydubai has publicly stated the Boeing 737 MAX remains “integral” to its future strategy. While flydubai current only operates 13 737 MAXs (a combo of MAX 8s and MAX 9s), it has ordered 250, making it one of the largest MAX customers.

We recognize this is a unique and complex situation underpinned by safety and regulation. There are a number of procedural factors that our experienced teams are working through.

Flydubai continues to work closely with its regulator and Boeing and we value our long-standing relationship with these partners. Our MAX aircraft remain an integral part of our strategy for the future.

Norwegian

a white airplane flying in the sky
Norwegian

Finally, Norwegian is just angry. The airline has 18 737 MAX in its fleet and uses them primarily on transatlantic flights between the east coast of the USA and Europe. The grounding of these aircraft has forced it to cancel many flights (though accounts for just 1% of capacity). Norwegian CEO Bjørn Kjos pledged to send the bill to Boeing.

It is quite obvious we will not take the cost related to the new aircraft that we have to park temporarily. We will send this bill to those who produce this aircraft.

Good luck on that…

Poor Norweigan…the carrier has had a lot of issues with Boeing, including with its 787 engines. A 737 MAX was also recently stranded in Iran for more than a month after encountering technical problems that forced an emergency landing.

CONCLUSION

Three airlines. Three very different reactions to the recent 737 MAX crash. The point is that airlines, like humans, will use tragedies to their own advantage. Here, it is payback time for Norwegian, a graceful way for Garuda to extract more concessions from Boeing, and a virtual non-issue from flydubai. Interesting times…

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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7 Comments

  1. Howard Reply
    March 18, 2019 at 9:41 am

    You don’t think there’s ground for Norwegian to sue Boeing? Or a class action on behalf of all airlines?

    • Donato Reply
      March 18, 2019 at 9:58 am

      I am not an attorney.
      I can not see a class action suit here because all the parties are known and can sue on their own, I expect these things will be taken care of in the course of business.
      Th 787 engines are not a Boeing issue, though they do cause a problem to the owner of a Boeing 787.

      • This Guy Reply
        March 18, 2019 at 12:10 pm

        If anything, they should take their 787 issue up with Rolls Royce, who provided the engines. Apparently they didn’t expect the components to wear as quickly as they thought, and meanwhile the GEnx has had little problems since the battery fire issue. When an aircraft has multiple engine options, it’s usually a good idea to buy both engines so they can be changed out if needed.

        In general though, GE and CFM engines have a notorious history for being reliable.

    • James Reply
      March 18, 2019 at 2:08 pm

      It depends on legal agreement on acquiring the service of the aircraft. Either way, it won’t go to court, since it would be a very very bad precedent. Boeing would surely settle.

  2. Ron Reply
    March 19, 2019 at 12:56 am

    Boeing took shortcuts in design and certification. The outcome will be this thing is totally unsafe to fly unless the hardware gets modified significantly.
    So orders will be cancelled. End of story for this thing .

  3. Random Travel Reply
    March 19, 2019 at 4:12 am

    I have nothing of interest to say to contribute, but the island in the background of Garuda’s photo is actually Mo’orea. An island 15km away from Tahiti in French Polynesia.

  4. Pensionless employee Reply
    May 7, 2019 at 10:12 pm

    Even if Boeing fixes the Problem with this 737, the public is still gonna have reservation on the Ethical issues between Boeing and FAA, I see this playing out as Boeing is Bill Cosby and more ENG, Employees are gonna keep blowing the whistle on decades of cheating, lying etc….. Boeing builds unsafe planes, it’s not the same company as it was back 20 years ago

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