Latest news with #SiddharajSolanki
Wall Street Journal
3 hours ago
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Heard on the Street Recap: Bond Bulls
The crash of a 787-8 jet in India is a blow to Boeing. (Siddharaj Solanki/EPA/Shutterstock)
Toronto Sun
14 hours ago
- Business
- 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
UPI
2 days ago
- General
- UPI
Air India flight carrying 242 people crashes in Ahmedabad
An Air India flight carrying 242 people crashed near a doctors' hostel in Ahmedabad shortly after liftoff, bound for London. Photo by Siddharaj Solanki/EPA-EFE June 12 (UPI) -- An Air India plane carrying 242 people crashed shortly after takeoff on Thursday, the airline said. The airline confirmed the incident involving flight AI171, which lifted off from Ahmedabad Airport at about 1:38 p.m. local time en route to London Gatwick Airport but did not provide further details on what took place. "Air India is giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident," the airline said. No details on casualties were given, but the airline said the passengers and crew included 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian national. Those injured in the incident were taken to nearby hospitals. Air India Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran offered his "deepest condolences" to the families and loved ones of those involved in the crash. "At this moment, our primary focus is on supporting all of the affected people and their families," he said. "We are doing everything in our power to assist the emergency response teams at the site and to provide all necessary support and care to those impacted." The plane, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed after reaching an altitude of 625 feet shortly after takeoff. "We are aware of initial reports and are working to gather more information," Boeing said. The plane crashed near a doctors' hostel in the Meghani area of Ahmedabad, prompting a swift response from police and fire crews who rushed to the area. A senior police officer said that "almost 70-80% of the area has been cleared." Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted to X that the crash had left him "stunned and saddened." "It is heartbreaking beyond words. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it," he wrote. Modi added that he's "been in touch with Ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer posted to social media Thursday that the scenes from the crash "are devastating." "I am being kept updated as the situation develops, and my thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time," he said.
