Qatar Airways backs Boeing despite MAX crash crisis
CEO says he has 'full confidence in aircraft maker' getting to the bottom of what caused the two deadly crashes
Muscat — Qatar Airways threw its support behind Boeing on Monday as the US planemaker faces its biggest crisis in years after two deadly crashes of its flagship 737 MAX jet. Regulators grounded the worldwide MAX fleet after an Ethiopian Airlines MAX crash killed all 157 people on board earlier in March, wiping 14% off shares in the world’s biggest planemaker. “As far as I am concerned, I have full confidence in Boeing and their ability to resolve any technical issue,” Qatar Airways CEO Akbar al-Baker told reporters in Muscat. Qatar Airways, one of the largest Middle East carriers, is a major Boeing customer. It has ordered 20 MAX jets and committed to buying a further 40. It has taken delivery of five of the aircraft, according to Boeing’s website. Baker has a reputation for heavily criticising aircraft manufacturers. It ordered the MAX jets after a dispute with Airbus over an order for their similar sized A320neo aircraft. The airline will delay the April delivery of a single MAX j...
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