Boeing shares drop 8% as crash revives safety concerns

The crash of an Air India 787-8 Dreamliner jet minutes after taking off on Thursday poses a major setback for Boeing, whose new CEO has been trying to rebuild trust following a series of safety and production challenges.

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The disaster, in which most of the 242 people on board were killed, tarnishes the jet’s safety record heading into the Paris airshow next week and muddies the efforts of CEO Kelly Ortberg to boost production after the planemaker hit the targets in May.

Shares were down about 4.8% and were trading at $203.55 after falling as much as 8% before the opening bell. Boeing said it was aware of the initial reports and was working to gather more information.

It was not clear what caused the crash.