Boeing is reeling after a door panel on a new Alaska Airlines plane broke off at 16,000 feet, forcing the 737 Max 9 to make an emergency landing as passengers peered through a large hole in the side of the plane.
In addition, the company has suffered a number of delays regarding the production of new aircraft. Scott Kirby, CEO of United Airlines, said earlier this year that his airline had considered fleet plans without the Max 10 planes because of the delays.
Now American Airlines has ordered 85 Boeing 737 MAX 10 jets, as well as 85 Airbus A321neo jets and 90 Embraer E175 jets, CNBC reported.
The second crisis in a few years
The expert report that became known last week is highly critical of Boeing's safety measures. She says controls are flawed and confusing and do not contribute to a positive safety culture.
The Alaska Airlines 737 MAX accident is the second major crisis for Boeing in a few years after two horrific accidents involving previous versions of the MAX aircraft in Ethiopia and Indonesia, in which a total of 346 people lost their lives.
That grounded all 737 MAX planes for about two years while Boeing worked to fix the problem. This led to huge losses for many airlines and significant damage to Boeing's reputation.
Following the accident in January this year, all Max 9 aircraft were grounded for several weeks and production was curtailed while US regulators review the production process.
More first class seats
American Airlines also shared that it plans to increase the number of first class seats. Airlines are seeing a rise in demand for first class and other premium seats as more customers accumulate credit card points and appear willing to pay more for more space on board.
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