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Boeing safety issues complicate aircraft procurement in Indonesia
A string of safety incidents at US-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing may disrupt plans for new plane orders by Indonesian carriers.
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A Boeing 777-9 aircraft is pictured on the tarmac on Nov 13, 2023, during the 2023 Dubai Airshow at the Dubai World Central - Al-Maktoum International Airport in Dubai. (AFP/Giuseppe Cacace)
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string of safety incidents at United States-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing may disrupt plans for new plane orders by Indonesian carriers.
Alvin Lie, chairman of the Association of Indonesian Aviation Service Users (APJAPI), said domestic airlines were looking to purchase 737 MAX 9 planes to replace their 737-800 or 737-900 Next Generation (737 NG) models, which exceed an operational age of 10 years.
“I talked to a few airlines, and they said it was difficult to switch to the Airbus A320 because of the long waiting list; it could take up to four years. Not to mention the fact that the pilots would have to undergo retraining [to operate] Airbus aircraft,” he told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
In response to the Post's inquiries about a possible decline in Indonesian demand for its aircraft, Boeing Southeast Asia communications head Swetha Mahesh quoted Boeing president and CEO Dave Calhoun, who remarked during an analyst call for the company’s fourth-quarter earnings on Jan. 3, “We're not issuing financial outlook for 2024 today. Now is not the time for that.”
“We will simply focus on every next airplane and [ensure] we meet all the standards that we have, all the standards that our regulator has and that our customers demand,” Calhoun said.
Read also: Airlines try to leverage Boeing woes despite lack of alternatives
Over the past two weeks, US-based United Airlines suffered a series of four incidents, all involving Boeing aircraft. A Boeing 737-900ER spewed flames from an engine after takeoff from Houston in the US state of Texas, a Boeing 777 lost a wheel during takeoff from San Francisco, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 slid off a runway in Houston and a Boeing 777 trailed hydraulic fluid leaving Sydney.
