FARNBOROUGH, (England): Boeing secured a revived order for 25 of its 737 MAX 10 airliners from Qatar Airways on Thursday, as the return of Britain’s Farnborough Airshow this week offered hope for the largest version of the planemaker’s troubled best-seller.
Two fatal 737 MAX crashes, an almost two-year worldwide grounding of the plane, and then the global pandemic have left the aviation industry reeling, with rebounding demand now stretching airlines, airports and parts supply.
Qatar Airways Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker signed the MAX deal in front of reporters at a ceremony delayed by nail-biting last-minute negotiations.
The order, worth $3.4 billion at list prices, capped a largely one-sided show dominated by Boeing’s efforts to shore up the MAX 10, whose future lies partly in the hands of regulators and Congress.
A preliminary version of the order was signed in Washington in January, but later lapsed, according to the airline.
Reuters had reported on Wednesday that the Gulf carrier may revive the MAX 10 deal at this week’s air show.
Boeing faces a December deadline to get the largest version of the MAX certified, without which it would need to comply with a requirement for an electronic warning system that is different from other variants, or else seek a Congressional waiver.
Farnborough saw Boeing dominate the stage with orders and re-announcements, suggesting renegotiation of earlier deals following the grounding delays, as it recovers from a slew of regulatory, industrial and financial problems.
After winning a key Delta Air Lines order for 100 MAX 10 at the outset of the show, Boeing Commercial Airplanes Chief Executive Stan Deal said the MAX had been “rebooted”.
BOEING ‘JOURNEY’
Sales chief Ihssane Mounir, said by one airline executive to be on a “war footing” to rekindle momentum, declined to be drawn on whether Boeing’s three-year confidence crisis was over.
“It’s a journey; I don’t think any of us will say there is a point in time where we turned the corner,” he said.
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