Boeing battling against strong headwinds

THE ‘best of times’ have been followed by the ‘worst of times’ for Boeing. Is there a future for the Boeing 737 passenger jet aircraft, which was introduced in 1967? Especially its much-vaunted 737 MAX-8 and 9 variants? Do things look ominous owing to a spate of mishaps?

The entire fleet of Boeing 737 MAX was grounded in 2019-20 due to two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019, which killed around 350 passengers. These were caused by defective flight control systems. Now, MAX-9 is undergoing an indefinite grounding, as ordered by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board. This is a fallout of the January 5 incident involving Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX-9, which lost a panel of its fuselage at an altitude of 16,000 ft, forcing it to make a non-fatal emergency landing. Although all passengers survived, the safety of the Boeing plane continues to be a matter of concern in the civil aviation sector.

What’s gone wrong with Boeing? Why have things come to such a pass? Who is responsible for the visible decline of the Boeing product? Since Boeing is already under severe strain and intense scrutiny of the watchdogs of aviation safety and security, let’s recall salient aspects of the aircraft’s not-too-impressive flight path.

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the Alaska Airlines incident could be linked to the December 30, 2023, recommendation to 737-MAX users by Boeing itself. It categorically advised: “Out of abundance of caution, we (Boeing) recommend operators inspect their 737-MAX and inform us of any findings.”

What made Boeing do this? Did it have prior knowledge of manufacturing defects and the fragility of the fuselage, so very important for the safety of an airborne machine with full load? Is Boeing paying the price of cost-cutting, rampant outsourcing and quick profit-making to keep its shareholders happy and outperform its rival(s) amid cut-throat competition?

It may appear strange or just a coincidence, but it’s on record. In January 2023, I had expressed a grave apprehension: “Flight safety is critical to aviation. The government’s role is key.” This was in connection with the same Boeing aircraft. After two Boeing 737-8 MAX crashed in successive years and later during the Covid-19 pandemic, the US civil aviation sector was in turmoil. A blame game shook the US administration, too, and a scathing report (Financial Times, September 16, 2020) was unsparing of all stakeholders. It said: “Sweeping failures by Boeing engineers, deception by the company and significant errors in government oversight led to two fatal 737-MAX 8 crashes, US congressional investigators concluded in a 245-page report.” The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, under chairman Peter DeFazio, found it ‘mindboggling’ that “Boeing and FAA concluded that the plane’s design had complied with regulations in spite of the crashes”.

Regrettably, the US Congress, which had come out with a damning report in 2020 on the Boeing 737 MAX flight safety mechanism, provided it a huge relief by shifting its stand on flight safety. It soon passed the Aircraft Certification Safety and Accountability Act, 2020, which required all planes certified by the FAA after December 27, 2022, to have the latest safety standards. Unsurprisingly, there followed an uproar in the US, with allegations that “Boeing’s intense lobbying for months convinced US legislators”.

A combination of factors appears to have influenced US legislators. These include concerns about local job losses, the impact on the reputation of the US aircraft company, market share losses and the rise of Boeing’s arch-rival Airbus and Boeing-assisted Chinese COMAC-made passenger jet C-919, which now poses a serious challenge to its mentor.

That all’s not well with the iconic Boeing-737 family is there for all to see. One is reminded of the entry of the Boeing passenger craft in the Indian market. A year ago, Air India had placed a $100-billion aircraft order; it was reported that a number of Boeing 737-MAX going to Air India were previously earmarked for Chinese airlines, wherein Boeing had been awaiting re-certification due to the crashes of 2018-19. What’s worrisome is the October 2022 Bloomberg report that said: “Boeing is trying to offload some roughly 140 aircraft it is currently not allowed to deliver.”

At present, there are too many insurmountable challenges confronting the Seattle-based passenger aircraft company, and that’s bad news for the civil aviation market.

Boeing once stood for quality and reliability. Its civil aircraft rose amid the failure of the British de Havilland Comet and erstwhile McDonnell Douglas DC-10 three-engine wide-body aircraft from the 1950s. The US pilot fraternity once swore by Boeing’s engineering skills and the integrity of its management. Are those vaunted qualities on the wane?

Today, Boeing is no longer what it was 50 years ago, with major and critical manufacturing being done within the US. Globalisation and the temptation of outsourcing cheaper products radically transformed the US policy, triggering the decline of American aviation and the corresponding rise of Chinese aviation. Now, COMAC is soaring in the backdrop of Boeing’s frailties. The situation is indeed grim for Boeing 737. Much needs to be done and much more focus is required on the part of the authorities. For now, these timeless words from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet would ring true: “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.”

Views are personal