This week’s Singapore Airshow has been a good platform for Boeing to showcase its military muscles, with the F-15 fighter and Apache attack helicopter certainly visibly wowing audiences. Boeing’s absence at this Asian premiere aviation event of its commercial planes was conspicuous compared with a deluge of only models and immersive displays of the Boeing 777X cabin put on show for attendees.
Against this backdrop, Ed Clark’s resignation as chief of the troubled 737 Max program was announced, amid continued scrutiny following a recent incident of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9, in which an panel detached at altitude. That incident prompted a temporary worldwide grounding of the aircraft after an inspection showed several missing critical bolts and reflected on some still-lingering safety issues.
All these make Boeing’s task of trying to regain trust very difficult after these safety issues coupled with the crashes in 2018 and 2019 of the 737 Max 8 that led to the tragic loss of 346 lives owing to flaws in its software. The industry’s response to this, especially major customers like Emirates, sends strong signals about Boeing finding itself at a precarious position; there needs to be transparent and concrete actions to rebuild confidence.
Meanwhile, at the same airshow, Airbus introduced its A350-1000 passenger jet, highlighting how the pressure on Boeing does not come only from traditional competitors but also from newer entrants such as Comac of China. The Comac C919 made its first international appearance during the Singapore Airshow, marking a significant step for China’s aerospace ambitions amid issues related to production rate improvements and regulatory approval for international flights.
But despite such hurdles, Boeing remains one of the major players in the global aviation arena commercially, and also with respect to the defense services. How the company will bring itself out of its present situation, pertaining to safety and competition, would determine its future course and be very crucial for the journey further. Its every step to meet such challenging situations and redeem its prestige as one of the prime aircraft manufacturers of the world shall come under the vigil of eyes of one and all in this industry.