Boeing CEO cancels trip to Paris Airshow, GE postpones investor day after fatal crash
June 12 (Reuters) - Boeing and GE Aerospace (GE.N), opens new tab are scaling back their public activities following the fatal crash of an Air India jetliner, with the planemaker's CEO canceling his trip to the Paris Airshow next week and GE postponing an investor day.
More than 240 people were killed when an Air India Boeing 787 jet bound for London crashed moments after taking off from the city of Ahmedabad on Thursday, authorities said, in the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade.
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said in a message to staff on Thursday evening that he and Boeing Commercial Airplanes boss Stephanie Pope had canceled plans to attend the Paris Airshow "so we can be with our team and focus on our customer and the investigation."
The air show, which runs from June 16 to June 20 at Le Bourget, is the global aviation industry's largest trade show, where many aircraft orders are typically placed by airlines.
Aircraft engine-maker GE Aerospace, whose engines were in the Boeing 787 plane, had planned an investor day on June 17 coinciding with the show.
The company said on Thursday the briefing had been canceled and it would put a team together to go to India and analyze data from the crashed airplane.
"GE Aerospace's senior leadership is focused on supporting our customers and the investigation," the company said in a statement.
GE said it planned to give a financial update later this month.
The decisions by Boeing and GE come as delegates said the crash is casting a somber mood over the Paris Airshow.
One delegate said the show would go on and business would continue but with fewer of the high-profile press conferences and in-person announcements associated with the industry's biggest commercial showcase.
Another said some order announcements could be delayed until later in the year as a mark of respect for victims of the accident.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Boeing 787 Dreamliner: a passenger and airline favourite, with some nightmares along the way
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was the first truly 21st-century big jet. More than 1,000 are in service, and many passengers rate it more highly than other aircraft. The carbon-fibre twin-engined 787 was designed partly as a replacement for Boeing's veteran 767 – but also to introduce passenger-friendly benefits such as larger windows and higher cabin pressure. The Dreamliner was also accountant friendly, burning about one-fifth less fuel than the 767, and allowed airlines' network planners to dream of ultra-long routes. The daily Qantas nonstop between London Heathrow and Perth in Western Australia, covering over 9,000 miles, is a doddle for a suitably configured 787. Boeing's bet was that an efficient aircraft with plenty of range would enable plenty of previously unserved city pairs to be flown profitably. The wager at arch-rival Airbus was different: think big. Going one step beyond the 747 Jumbo jet by extending the double deck for the length of the aircraft. The European engineers came up with world's largest people-mover: the Airbus A380 'SuperJumbo'. Both the 787 and A380 endured long and troubled gestations, but the Airbus plane was first in service – beating the 787 by a couple of years. To the chagrin of the Toulouse-based planemaker, few airlines were impressed. It was a 20th-century concept, with four thirsty engines to nourish and maintain. Only Emirates has ordered the Airbus A380 at scale, to feed its mega-hub in Dubai. In contrast the 787 has been a plane for all seasons. Europe's biggest holiday company, Tui, has 13 of the jets. They can shuttle hundreds of holidaymakers efficiently between the UK and the Mediterranean in summer, then in winter show off their long legs to the Caribbean and South East Asia. Premier league airlines configure the Dreamliner for comfort: British Airways has a total of 42 in service and on order, while Virgin Atlantic has 17 – with names like Dream Girl and Dream Jeannie. But the choice of engines that both the UK carriers chose have proved something of a nightmare. The Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine, 'optimised specifically to power the Boeing 787 Dreamliner family' has been unkindly described by aircraft engineers as having 'chocolate fan blades'. A shortage of serviceable aircraft caused both BA and Virgin to cancel routes to Kuala Lumpur and Accra respectively. Yet at least the 787 is now flying at scale. For three months in 2013, the young plane was grounded worldwide because of fears of conflagration involving the lithium batteries that were installed: a newly arrived Ethiopian Airlines Dreamliner from Addis Ababa burst into flames at Heathrow. No one was hurt, but the plane was banned from flying until Boeing came up with a fix. More recently, safety shortcomings at the US manufacturer have come under the spotlight. And the first fatal crash of the 787 on Thursday 12 June, killing hundreds in Ahmedabad, will sharply increase the focus on the plane's airworthiness. Investigators sifting through the wreckage of the Air India jet will pore over the components that are still intact after the impact and subsequent fire to see if some kind of systems failure had contributed to the disaster. Were a previously unidentified design flaw to be identified, resulting in another worldwide grounding order, global aviation would be traumatised: already the number of active long-haul aircraft are struggling to meet demand, and removing more than 1,000 wide-bodied planes would wreck millions of travel plans. Meanwhile, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is approaching middle age on the aircraft spectrum – and the younger Airbus A350 has stolen its most-preferred title. Between London and Doha, Qatar Airways consigns its first-edition 787s to the Gatwick budget route, rather that the pricier premium Heathrow link. These tired-looking high-density aircraft are also deployed on low-revenue routes such as Doha-Kathmandu. My experience from Gatwick via the Gulf hub to the Nepali capital on back-to-back 787s last October was uncomfortable and joyless. Yet Gulf rival Emirates will soon welcome dozens of Dreamliners into its fleet for the first time. British travellers are likely to be flying on the 787 for a couple of decades yet. But after the tragedy in Ahmedabad, passengers' appreciation of the Dreamliner may diminish.
The Independent
4 hours ago
- The Independent
Air India boss pledges to be ‘fully transparent' in investigation into doomed London flight
Watch as the CEO of Air India says he plans to be 'fully transparent' following the deadly plane crash which claimed the lives of 241 people onboard on Thursday (12 June). Speaking on Friday (13 June), Campbell Wilson confirmed the official death toll from flight A1 171 and said the airline 'grieves for those affected, their families and their loved ones'. 'We know investigations will take time but will be fully transparent and support the process for as long as it takes,' he added. He announced that a team of engineering staff and caregivers are now at the crash site to 'give support' and also revealed Air India has set up assistance centres to facilitate travel for family members to Ahmedabad. Mr Cambell also said that £85,000 will be given to each of the victims' families.
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Save up to 50% on Father's Day gifts from Shutterfly - photo books, mugs, blankets & more
Father's Day is almost here, and what better way to celebrate your dad than by giving him a book of memories? With Shutterfly, you can do just that — whether you want to gift Dad a photo book or a framed picture of you two. Shutterfly lets you customize the gift from start to finish — from the size to the color, and of course, to the pictures included. Right now, orders over $29 are 40 percent off and orders over $49 are 50 percent off with code SAVE50 added at checkout. Shutterfly Gifts Shutterfly has tons of personalized gift options, including photo books, frames, mugs, blankets and more. Choose rush shipping at checkout to get your gifts on time. Use code SAVE50 for a discount! Up to 50% off Shop Shutterfly also offers a ton of unique gifts if you want to move past a picture frame or photo book. You can choose from a personalized ceramic mug to a comfy blanket featuring images of both you and Dad. There are even options to build a picture puzzle or buy your dad a luggage tag. Truly, Shutterfly has an option for every kind of dad. All these personalized gifts will serve as a daily reminder for Dad that you're thinking of him — no matter where you are. I've used Shutterfly before and got my dad a customized mug. He loves it — constantly using it for his morning cup of tea, even though he's miles away in India. I also love that everything — from the design to the background and even the text — can be personalized with colors and patterns of your choosing. Shutterfly's personalization feature even lets you preview what the finished product will look like before it ships. Of course, since each gift is personalized, it won't ship immediately — but the wait is worth it. That said, you can choose expedited, rush, or super rush shipping to get your product within 24 hours, depending on your location. Shutterfly shoppers love each personalized photo gift, with many complimenting the clarity of the pictures and the fast shipping. 'Pictures came out great! Loved both of them and it came very fast. I ordered more when I saw how well they came out. Great gifts for friends and families,' says one shopper. Another shopper was really happy with Shutterfly's customizable photo blanket: 'This blanket exceeded my expectations. I got this as a gift for my dad right after his dog passed away — the photos I added are clear to see and include great memories. It is way softer than I expected it to be.' A third chose to make a photo book and loved the quality: 'We have this product on our living room table. So many people have looked at it and loved it! Brings so much joy looking at pictures from beautiful memories. We get so many compliments!' Shutterfly really has a gift option for everyone — and with the option for expedited shipping, your gifts will always arrive in time. Shop now!
