Boeing's troubled era has dimmed the prospects of a preeminent American manufacturer
A London-bound Air India plane carrying more than 240 people crashed shortly after takeoff Thursday. Authorities said there were no known survivors.
It was not immediately clear why Air India flight 171, a Boeing 787-8, crashed into a residential area five minutes after taking off.
Boeing said it was aware of the reports of the crash and was 'working to gather more information.'
It was the first fatal crash of a Boeing 787, a widebody, twin-engine plane known as the Dreamliner. But it's the latest in a string of troubles for Boeing, most of them tied to the 737 Max, a different plane.
Here is a timeline of key events for Boeing in recent years:
December 2009: The 787 Dreamliner makes its first flight, taking off from Paine Field in Everett, Washington.
January 2013: 787s worldwide are grounded nearly three weeks after lithium ion batteries that are part of the planes led to a fire in one plane and smoke in a second.
August 2015: The first 737 Max plane rolls off the production line and within a year are undergoing flight tests.
Oct. 29, 2018: Lion Air Flight 610, a Boeing 737 Max 8, plunges into the Java Sea off the coast of Indonesia minutes after takeoff from Jakarta, killing all 189 people on board. Questions arise over a new Boeing flight-control system called MCAS that Boeing did not disclose to pilots and airlines. Indonesian investigators say the Flight 610 pilots struggled for control as the automated system pushed the nose of the plane down more than two dozen times.
March 1, 2019: Wall Street remains enamored with Boeing as commercial aircraft orders rocket. Shares of Boeing Co. close at an all-time high of $430.35.
March 10, 2019: Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, a Boeing 737 Max 8, crashes after takeoff from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, killing 157 passengers and crew members. Shares of Boeing begin a long, downward slide and have yet to recover.
March 2019: Within days of the second crash, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and regulators in nations around the world order the grounding of all 737 Max jets.
Dec. 23, 2019: Boeing ousts CEO Dennis Muilenburg, who was seen as pressuring the FAA to lift the Max grounding order.
Jan. 7, 2021: U.S. Justice Department charges Boeing with fraud but won't prosecute the company for misleading regulators about the 737 Max if it pays a $2.5 billion settlement.
Jan. 5, 2024: A panel covering an unused emergency exit blows off a 737 Max 9 during an Alaska Airlines flight. Pilots land the plane safely.
Feb. 26, 2024: A panel of outside experts, convened after the two deadly crashes, reports Boeing's safety culture falls short despite the company's efforts to fix it.
March 11, 2024: A LATAM Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner flight between Australia and New Zealand suddenly plunges, injuring 50 people. Boeing tells airlines to inspect switches on pilots' seats after a published report said an accidental cockpit seat movement likely cause the rapid loss of altitude.
March 25, 2024: Dave Calhoun, who replaced Muilenburg, says he will step down as CEO by year-end as part of a broader shakeup of Boeing leadership.
July 7, 2024: Boeing agrees to plead guilty to conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government for misleading regulators who approved pilot-training standards for the Max.
July 31, 2024: Boeing names Kelly Ortberg as its new chief executive. Ortberg is a trained engineer and was CEO of aerospace supplier Rockwell Collins for eight years. Many see his appointment as an attempt by Boeing to get back to its roots.
Sept 13, 2024: About 33,000 Boeing factory workers walk off the job in a strike that will cripple production at one of the preeminent manufacturers in the U.S. for almost two months. It is the first labor action taken against the company in 16 years.
May 23, 2025: The Justice Department reaches a deal with Boeing that takes criminal prosecution off the table for allegedly misleading regulators about the 737 Max jetliner before the two fatal planes crashes. Boeing agreed to pay or invest more than $1.1 billion, including an additional $445 million for crash victims' families, removing the risk of a criminal conviction that would have jeopardized the company's status as a federal contractor.
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Toronto Sun
2 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
Boeing returns to crisis-mode as India crash poses new test
Published Jun 13, 2025 • 4 minute read The crash site of Air India Ltd. Flight 171 in Ahmedabad India. Photo by Siddharaj Solanki / Photographer: Siddharaj Solanki/ (Bloomberg) — Boeing Co. Chief Executive Officer Kelly Ortberg finds himself in a painfully familiar role as he faces another crisis, this time over a crash involving the company's marquee 787 Dreamliner jet in India that killed more than 240 people. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account In his first nine months at Boeing, Ortberg has led the company through the early stages of a turnaround. He's also navigated a cash crunch, debilitating labour unrest, a rush to overhaul the company's safety operations, and a trade war wrought by President Donald Trump against one of Boeing's biggest customers: China. But just as Ortberg looked poised to be gaining momentum and earning cautious praise for the discipline and rigor he brought to the long-troubled company, a horrifying crash of an Air India 787 bound for London served as a reminder of how swiftly confidence in the planemaker can erode. Boeing shares fell 2.2% at 9:48 am in New York, as the uncertainty sparked by tragedy continued to concern investors. Only one passenger out of the 242 people on board survived the accident, which once again associated the planemaker with safety concerns. Airlines around the globe meanwhile waited to to see if regulators would demand new inspections of 787 Dreamliner fleet, or even a grounding, though the cause of the crash remains unknown for now. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'It's a classic moment of crisis management and fast response: getting out there and sending teams to understand what happened, and just being there to reassure people,' aerospace consultant Richard Aboulafia said of the initial tasks for Boeing. 'A lot of life is just showing up.' Ortberg and Boeing commercial aircraft head Stephanie Pope spent the initial hours after the tragedy reaching out to Air India executives, 'to offer our full support,' the CEO told employees in a memo viewed by Bloomberg. The Boeing executives also scrapped plans to travel to the Paris Air Show next week, where they'd been expected to showcase Boeing's progress and unveil orders. GE Aerospace, which made the engines on the doomed Dreamliner, cancelled a June 17 investor day in Paris. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Safety is foundational to our industry and is at the core of everything that we do,' Ortberg told employees. 'Please keep the families and loved ones affected by this accident in your thoughts.' It will take investigators weeks, if not months, to sort through the evidence and pinpoint what caused the first fatal crash for Boeing's 787 Dreamliner. That's likely to keep the spotlight on Ortberg and Boeing's safety record, rather than the progress in the factories toward returning to pre-pandemic manufacturing rates. The Air India Dreamliner rolled down almost the entire length of an 11,000-foot runway before lumbering in the air, according to data from FlightRadar24. It only gained about 625 feet of altitude before sinking to the ground with its nose up, suggesting an aerodynamic stall, said aviation consultant Robert Mann. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. There were several puzzling aspects, including the configuration of the plane's flight surfaces and landing gear — which wasn't retracted. 'It was clearly a case where it was not accelerating and should have been obvious early enough you just reject the takeoff,' Mann said. Investigators will examine what might have caused the loss of power — whether from a bird strike, contaminated fuel, maintenance or pilot error, or some other factor. They say it's less likely the crash was related to the design and build of the 787 itself, which had been flying for Air India for more than 11 years. Even still, for Boeing executives 'it's going to be a very tense 24 hours,' Aboulafia said. Ortberg, a low-key Midwesterner and engineer by training, came out of retirement last year to take on one of the tougher turnarounds in corporate America. Boeing was reeling from a near-catastrophe on an airborne 737 Max that spurred investigations, a crackdown by US regulators and a leadership exodus. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. He's kept a low public profile while preaching internally the importance of instilling a culture that emphasizes civility, respect and pride in workmanship. A working group of employees, formed to craft a statement of values, insisted on urging Boeing's workforce to 'give a damn.' Boeing customers like John Plueger, the chief executive officer of Air Lease, the largest US aircraft financier, have noticed a difference. The manufacturer's planes are arriving on time, after years of chronic delays, Plueger said in an interview last month. The company's jet factories and supply chain seem to have fewer disruptions and quality breakdowns, although they're still a concern, he said. The US planemaker even enjoyed the momentum of a record order placed by Qatar Airways during a visit by Trump, which propelled its May orders to the highest such tally in about 18 months. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. That momentum risks stalling as the company works to find out what role, if any, Boeing played in the crash. Follow Bloomberg India on WhatsApp for exclusive content and analysis on what billionaires, businesses and markets are doing. Sign up here. The plane at the center of the tragedy was built during the early days of the 787 program, when Boeing was struggling with the consequences of a decision to offload much of the design and development work to suppliers in order to cut costs. The Dreamliner was the 26th to roll off Boeing's line, placing it among the 60 early aircraft that required extensive rework after they'd rolled out of Boeing's factory north of Seattle. The early turbulence of the 787 Dreamliner had faded as the carbon-composite jet settled into a mostly steady performer for carriers from ANA Holdings Inc. to United Airlines Holdings Inc. While Plueger has confidence in the company's leadership, 'Boeing is not completely out of the woods,' he said. 'It needs to consistently deliver and consistently demonstrate high quality production with no real glitches or problems or safety concerns.' — With assistance from Mary Schlangenstein. Toronto Maple Leafs Columnists Columnists Toronto & GTA Sunshine Girls
Globe and Mail
3 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Air India Run 787 Dreamliner Crashes, Boeing's Shares Drop 4.8%
Air India-operated Boeing 's BA 787-8 passenger jet, carrying 242 people bound for London, crashed yesterday in Ahmedabad, India. This accident raised concerns about safety in air travel, and as a consequence, shares of Boeing fell 4.8% yesterday. Pre-market trading is showing a further decline of 1.1%. All passengers, except one, and all crew members lost their lives. This fatal accident is raising questions about the safety of Boeing's commercial airplane model. Although the 787-8 Dreamliner is involved in such a devastating accident for the first time, Boeing's 737 Max model was involved in two major crashes and was grounded for almost a year. It was allowed to resume operation after adding safety measures. Investigation Is on, Black Box Recovered The real reason behind the fatal crash of Air India flight (AI 171) is still being investigated by government agencies. Analyzing the videos, a few aviation experts suggested that the lack of engine thrust after takeoff was the primary reason behind the accident. Experts are considering the failure of the dual engines of Boeing's 787-8 Dreamliner as the cause of the crash. Some experts also suggested that a bird hit or a lack of fuel supply might have stopped the engines from functioning properly, which is the lifeline of the aircraft. One of the two black boxes of AI 171 has been recovered from the wreckage, and the search continues for the other. While engine failure, human error or lack of proper maintenance are the probabilities linked to the accident, the exact cause will come to light only after a thorough analysis. What Is Boeing's Stand After the Accident Boeing's management has offered its deepest condolences to the loved ones of the passengers and crew on board Air India Flight 171, as well as everyone affected in Ahmedabad. The company also informed that it will offer full support to the investigation led by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau. Boeing's Backlog The company still has a long backlog for its commercial aircraft model. The total backlog of Boeing's different models of commercial aircraft is 5,943, which indicates wide acceptance of its aircraft among the airliners. Many airliners might reconsider their existing orders with Boeing after the fatal crash of AI 171, which can benefit its rival Airbus Group EADSY. Airbus' current backlog of commercial aircraft stands at 8,630. What's Next for the Aviation Industry Thousands of flights took off and landed safely globally on the same day. Such incidents affect the confidence of the flier, yet that does not stop airliners from carrying out their operations. Last year, Boeing projected a 3% increase in airplane deliveries over the next 20 years, with airliners requiring nearly 44,000 new commercial airplanes by 2043. Per this projection, there is ample scope for aircraft producers and suppliers to provide the necessary parts to build airplanes. Boeing uses General Electric 's GE unit GE Aerospace and Rolls Royce engines for its aircraft. The engine supplier will benefit from the increasing demand for new airplanes. BA's Zacks Rank Boeing currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days Just released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers "Most Likely for Early Price Pops." Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +23.5% per year. So be sure to give these hand picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report The Boeing Company (BA): Free Stock Analysis Report GE Aerospace (GE): Free Stock Analysis Report Airbus Group (EADSY): Free Stock Analysis Report
CBC
3 hours ago
- CBC
His dad's old age pension suddenly stopped coming, leaving couple at 'desperation time'
A London couple say they've been hit with a steep and unexpected monthly expense, after the federal government stopped an elder family member's old age security payments without explanation — payments which went toward expensive nursing home costs. Francisco Moraga hasn't seen a monthly payment deposited into the bank account of his 88-year-old father, Hector, since Feb. 26. The amount, $1,881, a combination of Old Age Security (OAS) and the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS), helped offset the $2,315 monthly bill charged by the octogenarian's long-term care facility in London. He and his wife Meaghin Moraga say they've had to withdraw savings to make up the difference, and are no closer to learning why the payments stopped. The uncertainty has brought stress for the couple, who have two adult children and their own bills to pay. Unable to come up with a payment on time, the couple recently incurred a late charge with the nursing home, which must be paid with cash or money order, they said. "We're taking all the stress because, my Dad ... I don't want to mention any of this to him, to worry him at his age and (with) his health problems," Francisco said. Born in Nicaragua, Francisco came to Canada with his Dad as a young teen. Hector has lived in long-term care since November 2023, and is wheelchair-bound and in poor health. For eight to 10 months prior, he lived with the couple, but they couldn't provide him the care he needed. "I always wanted to repay him for what he's done for us, so I made sure I looked after his stuff, until I run into this problem," Francisco said. "We're at desperation time. We don't know what to do anymore." OAS provides a monthly pension to Canadian citizens or legal residents 65 or older who have lived in Canada for at least 10 years since age 18. Many seniors rely on it and GIS for income. Francisco says he and his father visited Service Canada on April 2, and filed paperwork so he could speak on his father's behalf as power of attorney. The couple were told they would hear back in a couple of weeks. "For the first two months, they said they hadn't received the file ... About a month ago, he got confirmation they had received the file, but they still had to process the paperwork. This is where we've been sitting now," Meaghin said. "They just keep saying to him, 'call back in two days.'" Francisco's phone shows a dozen calls made to Service Canada since April 2, most recently on Tuesday. Most last more than 30 minutes, often on hold. With the power of attorney document in limbo, the government can't provide the cause of the cessation. "If it's our fault, we're happy to provide whatever information is needed," Meaghin said. Early on, a Service Canada official speculated an address change could be the issue, however Meaghin says a change of address was made in 2023 when Hector lived with them, and remains the same. Contacted by CBC News, Employment and Social Development Canada wouldn't comment directly on the Moraga's case without their written consent, which has been submitted to the federal department. 'Nightmare bureaucracy' Shael Eisen, a Toronto-based lawyer who has specialized in elder law for 25 years, says such delays aren't unusual, and something he has seen many times. The government is extra cautious around releasing private information and adhering to privacy laws, and verifying power of attorney can take time as a result. "It's not extraordinary something like this could take four or five months. It's a tragedy. It's just a giant bureaucracy, and they just don't know how to move fast," Eisen said. "They want to pay out the money. It's like Las Vegas, they want people to win, otherwise you'll stop contributing. They're not evil, it's just a nightmare bureaucracy." Sometimes, the problem is administrative, like direct deposit where "somebody somehow keyed in the wrong number," he said. Other times it may be income tax-related. Those with net incomes exceeding certain amounts must repay part or all of their OAS, however Meaghin says Hector is low-income, and the couple filed his taxes with an accountant and received his notice of assessment. The bureaucratic delays can be boiled down to a lack of resources and staff. "If you're an 80-year-old person, and you paid your taxes your whole life, and you did nothing wrong, and all of a sudden there's a glitch, the consequences can be devastating," Eisen said.
