Jeju Air Disaster in December Last Year
Window and Fuselage Torn Off Mid-Flight in January
An Air India passenger plane carrying over 240 people crashed on the 12th (local time), raising new concerns about the reliability of aircraft manufacturer Boeing.
On the 12th (local time), an Air India aircraft heading to London Gatwick Airport crashed during takeoff at an airport in Ahmedabad, India. Photo by EPA Yonhap News
The crashed aircraft was a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the company's latest medium-to-long-haul model. This model is currently operated by more than 70 airlines worldwide, and this incident marks the first crash since its maiden test flight in 2009. In March last year, a LATAM Airlines aircraft of the same model made a steep descent while flying from Sydney to Auckland, New Zealand, but did not crash.
This tragedy is the latest in a series of Boeing passenger aircraft accidents in recent years. In December last year, a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 crashed at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province, resulting in 179 deaths. Earlier, in January last year, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 departing from Portland International Airport in Oregon experienced a mid-flight incident at an altitude of about 5,000 meters, where a window and part of the fuselage were torn off.
Additionally, the Ethiopian Airlines crash in 2019 that killed 157 people involved a Boeing 737 MAX 8, and the 2018 Lion Air crash in Indonesia that killed 189 people also involved the same model.
After these incidents, Boeing attempted to restore its image by appointing engineer Robert Kelly Oetberg as CEO. Oetberg, who took office in August last year, resolved the company's first strike in 16 years, and last month reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to avoid criminal prosecution related to the 2017 Lion Air crash.
However, with another major accident occurring just before his first anniversary as CEO, Boeing's reputation has suffered another blow. Following the accident, Boeing released a statement in Oetberg's name, saying, "Boeing is fully prepared to cooperate with the investigation led by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB)." The company added, "CEO Oetberg spoke with the Air India chairman and pledged full support," and stated, "All information regarding this accident will be left entirely to the judgment and announcements of the Indian investigative authorities."
The Associated Press reported, "Boeing is going through a period of hardship, and this accident is casting a shadow over the future of America's leading manufacturer."
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