• 

  Boeing

  Stock Code:

  BA

  Date Founded:

  1916-07-15

  CEO:

  Dave Calhoun

  Headquarters Location:

  Chicago, USA

  Key Product Lines:

  Boeing 737, Boeing 747, Boeing 757, Boeing 767, Boeing 777, Boeing 787

  Business Type:

  Planemaker

A top Boeing executive has played down the idea that the company would ditch the Boeing MAX 10 if the aircraft didn’t gain an exemption from new safety regulations. Speaking ahead of the Farnborough Air Show, Boeing’s CEO of commercial airplanes (CA) said he was focussing on getting the MAX 10 certified before the new regulations come into force ahead of anything else.

CA CEO Stan Deal said he did not see the MAX 10 failing to be certified or granted an exemption to the rules as a “high probability path.” The comments came after Boeing’s CEO Dave Calhoun hinted that the entire project could be pulled if the aircraft isn’t made exempt from the new rules or given an extension until they come into force in 2023.

The MAX 10’s race to get certified

Boeing is in a race against time to get the MAX 10 certified or an exemption from new safety rules before they come into force in 2023. The new safety rules were brought in following the fatal crashes of two 737 MAXs and concerns over the safety culture at Boeing.

The Aircraft Safety and Certification Reform Act means that new aircraft must comply with the latest crew alert regulations mandated by the FAA in order to be certified from 2023 onwards. If Boeing didn’t get an exemption, it would have to add an alerting system to the cockpits of MAX 10 aircraft.

This could lead to Boeing having to redesign the MAX 10’s flight deck and pilots having to fly under a new configuration, which would disrupt the 737’s family model of interoperability between different 737 types. This would make the 737 MAX 10 less competitive and increase costs for airlines operating the type.

Boeing’s CEO David Calhoun told Aviation Week that:

“The [737-10] is a little bit of an all-or-nothing… If you go through the things we’ve been through, the debts that we’ve had to accumulate, our ability to respond, or willingness to see things through even a world without the MAX 10 is not that threatening.”

The comments raised eyebrows and were met with disbelief online, with some arguing that they undermined the company’s attempts to rebuild trust in its corporate culture.

What’s Boeing’s plan for the MAX 10?

Stan Deal revealed that Boeing had not formally decided when it might have to formally go to Congress to seek a waiver from the new rules. Instead, Deal said that the company’s approach was as simple as working with the FAA to get the aircraft certified and that Boeing would only ask Congress for a waiver if it became apparent it was needed.

However, the heated rhetoric appears to have had little effect on the demand for the aircraft. Reuters reported today that Delta Air Lines would announce a deal for 100 Boeing MAX 10 jets worth around $13.5 billion at list prices at the Farnborough air show on Monday, according to sources familiar with the matter.

What do you think of the latest comments by Boeing executives? Let us know in the comments below.