Air India crash is latest test for new Boeing leadership
Shares of US plane manufacturer finished down nearly 5 per cent on Thursday; Boeing CEO offers ‘deepest condolences’ to victims’ loved ones
The devastating Air India crash seems certain to embroil Boeing in further rounds of negative headlines at a time when it has shown progress under new leadership.
“Our deepest condolences go out to the loved ones of the passengers and crew on board Air India Flight 171, as well as everyone affected in Ahmedabad,” said Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, adding in a statement that he told Air India’s chairman Boeing would support the investigation.
The calamity, the first deadly crash of a 787, comes just before Ortberg and other aerospace leaders converge at Le Bourget Airport for next week’s Paris Air Show.
Before Thursday, industry insiders expected the focus at Le Bourget to include the aviation sector’s adaptation to trade tensions, the latest state-of-the-art flying technologies and the outlook for any improvement in the supply chain that has slowed deliveries from Boeing and rival Airbus.
But the crash is also certain to be a major topic of conversation, as well as a source of speculation and sobriety.