© Reuters. There is no end to the scandals!Another serious Boeing failure leaves Blinken stranded in Davos
Financial Associated Press, January 18 (Editor Niu Zhanlin)U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was stranded in Davos on Wednesday local time after his Boeing plane suffered a major malfunction and was unable to fly back to the United States as planned. During U.S. stock market trading, Boeing’s stock price rose more than 1%, but it has fallen 22% so far this year.
Blinken traveled to Davos, Switzerland, on Monday for the annual World Economic Forum and planned to fly back to Washington on Wednesday. That day, after boarding the modified Boeing 737, Blinken and his team were told that the plane was deemed unsafe to fly and that a previously detected oxygen leak could not be repaired, and the group was forced to disembark.
It is reported that a smaller jet is flying from Brussels to Zurich, Switzerland to pick up the most senior US diplomat. However, other members of his delegation had to take a commercial flight to Washington.
It’s the latest blow to Boeing’s once-glorious but now deeply tarnished reputation, even after a series of scandals that have left people somewhat “numb” to it.
However, the Boeing plane Blinken was scheduled to fly on was an old modified 737 model for use by the military, not the 737 MAX 9 that had recently had “major problems.”
On January 5, an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 passenger plane had to make an emergency return shortly after takeoff when a door burst at an altitude of 16,000 feet, leaving a large hole in the side of the plane.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered on January 6 to temporarily ground 171 Boeing 737 MAX 9 passenger aircraft operated by American Airlines or within the United States for safety inspections. Subsequently, two U.S. airlines that own Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft, Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, both reported that “during inspections, they found that the Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft had some loose parts or some bolts that needed to be repaired.” Tighten further”.
While the cause of the accident is still under investigation, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun acknowledged that Boeing’s “mistakes” led to the accident. A series of accidents has also heightened concerns about quality control issues at Boeing.
The Boeing MAX has become one of the most notorious jet models in the history of commercial aviation. Most aircraft of this type were grounded for nearly two years after 2019 following two fatal crashes. A series of manufacturing issues have prompted Boeing to delay plans to increase production since the flight ban was lifted. As recently as December, the company warned of possible loose bolts in the rudder system. Last summer, production was temporarily halted due to errors in drilling holes in the fuselage.
The FAA said on Wednesday it had completed inspections of the first 40 Boeing 737 MAX 9 passenger planes. Once all inspections are complete, the agency will “thoroughly review the data” to determine whether the aircraft can resume flying.
Wells Fargo issued a report on Tuesday saying that Boeing has had quality control and engineering issues for years, and that after the 737 Max partially disintegrated during a flight, the FAA was unlikely to suspend operations without major findings. End the investigation into Boeing. The bank has downgraded Boeing stock to “hold and wait” from “overweight.”
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2024-01-17 18:33:00
