Flydubai could take Airbus jets if Boeing MAX grounding is prolonged
Compensation for loss of business to be sought
Dubai — Flydubai’s chairman warned on Monday the airline could order Airbus A320neos as replacements for Boeing 737 MAX jets, telling the US planemaker to improve communication with customers. The 737 MAX has been grounded after an Ethiopian Airlines jet crashed in March and a LionAir jet crashed last October, killing a total of 346 people. The Middle East carrier operates a fleet of only 737 aircraft and is one of the largest MAX operators having ordered 250 of the new model narrow-body jets. Flydubai has had to ground its 14 MAX jets, accounting for roughly 10% of its fleet, and cancel up to 15 flights a day. “That gave me an option to talk to Airbus,” Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum told reporters at the Arabian Travel Market exhibition in Dubai. “You have to understand that we do not have a definite date on when this (MAX) aircraft will be flying.”
Flydubai said in March the MAX was integral to its future. Other airlines have weighed their options since the grounding. A ...
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