Boeing gets orders for 50 more grounded 737 Max jets from Kazakh airline
Boeing’s grounded 737 Max received another vote of confidence today, as airlines announced plans to order up to 50 of the jets worth $6bn at list prices.
Kazakhstan’s flag carrier, Air Astana, has signed a letter of intent to buy 30 of the 737 Max 8 planes, which are banned from global airspaces after two fatal crashes killed 346 people.
Read more: Europe ‘will not accept’ FAA’s safety decision on grounded Boeing 737 Max
At the same time, the airline said it was confident that Boeing would be able to fix the problems with the 737 Max.
Both crashes, one in Indonesia and the other in Ethiopia, have been linked to the plane’s anti-stall system, which pushed the nose down repeatedly despite the pilots’ best efforts.
Plans to return the jet to service have been pushed back again and again, most recently to early next year.
Boeing is still working to finalise the software and training changes needed for it to get approval from aviation regulators around the world.
“We are making flying affordable for the people of Kazakhstan,” Air Astana chief planning officer Alma Aliguzhinova said.
She added that deliveries would begin in 2021.
Separately, another airline signed a firm order for 10 Boeing 737 Max 7 and 10 Boeing Max 10 jets, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters. The airline’s name was not disclosed.
Read more: Thousands of Boeing 737 Max flights booked despite lack of regulatory approval
This is the second industry event that Boeing has used to try to rebuild momentum for the plane, which was its best seller until the grounding.
A letter of intent between Boeing and British Airways owner IAG for 200 jets, which grabbed the spotlight at the Paris Airshow in June, has yet to be finalised as the European holding company discusses the fleet change with subsidiaries that currently use Airbus for medium-haul operations.