After the crash of Ethiopian Airlines on Sunday the 10th of March, more and more countries have decided to close the airspace for the Boeing 737 MAX. After Europe, also the US and Canada have decided to keep the 737 MAX on the ground.
The event has caused serious negative effects on Boeing’s stock price, which has decreased with more than 10% since the event. According to Floris De Haan, senior researcher in Air Transport Economics at Erasmus School of Economics, the crash will cause even more problems for Boeing. ‘The production of this type of aircraft is high, and in a part of the world, these orders cannot be delivered since they are not allowed to enter the airspace.’
De Haan foresees another problem in the near future. ‘Many airlines have already scheduled the ordered aircrafts in their routes. They need to review these routes and possibly keep older aircrafts in use for a longer period of time. A whole string of follow-up appointments will cause more problems for the airline. Because of this, the airlines often file claims with the manufacturer.’
According to De Haan, the MAX aircraft contributes to a big part of total sales, since they are sold in large quantities. ‘If there is a fatal accident shortly after the introduction of a new type of airplane, this causes an irreversible negative effect on future orders.’
The entire article of Het Financieele Dagblad, 14 March 2019, can be downloaded below (in Dutch).