The Status of Boeing After the 737 Max Crash in Indonesia

The crash of the Boeing 737 Max operated by Lion Air in Indonesia, which resulted in the deaths of 189 people, has left families and the public in mourning and astonished many aviation experts worldwide, as it was unexpected. This incident is particularly bad news for Boeing, especially with the possibility that the aircraft's guidance systems were the cause of this deadly accident. The 737 Max is the latest model of the 737, Boeing's best-selling aircraft. In recent years, there has been intense competition between this model and the Airbus A320 family. These types of aircraft are currently the best-selling class in the world. Boeing has always emphasized safety, but if its latest model has safety issues, it could deal a heavy blow to Boeing in its competition with Airbus. Preliminary results of the investigation into the cause of the crash indicate that new sensors located at the nose of the aircraft may have sent erroneous information to the aircraft's central systems due to potential software issues. This incorrect information could direct the aircraft's nose downward while in autopilot mode. Even after control is handed over to the pilot, handling the aircraft could still be problematic and lead to a crash. If this information is definitively confirmed, it would deal a severe blow to Boeing. The aircraft made its first successful flight in late January 2016 from Boeing's facilities in Seattle. Keith Lorcan, the program manager for the Boeing 737 Max, told reporters on the day of the aircraft's test flight, 'We have a very excellent and exceptional product here, and we believe it will be one of the most popular passenger aircraft ever.' The Boeing 737 Max is equipped with two CFM turbofan engines and is capable of flying routes between 7,000 to 9,000 kilometers. The Boeing 737 Max covers from 149 to 220 seats. The price of the smallest model, the Max 7, starts at $90 million, while the base price of the Max 9 model is $116 million. Boeing has redesigned the fuselage and wings of the Max, resulting in a reduction in overall weight and improved aerodynamics. Boeing claims that the new Max winglets can save up to two percent in fuel consumption. Fuel consumption in the Boeing 737 Max has decreased by up to 20 percent compared to previous models, thanks to advanced equipment such as its new advanced engines, and according to Boeing, it has up to eight percent lower operating costs per seat compared to its main competitor, the Airbus A320neo. Another point is that the engine model of the 737 Max and some models of the Airbus A320neo is the LEAP model manufactured by CFM, but Boeing has achieved better flight performance and lower fuel consumption through better aerodynamics. According to Boeing, the 737 Max has up to eight percent lower operating costs per seat compared to its main competitor, the Airbus A320neo. Even if this claim is true, the crash of this aircraft, if due to safety issues, diminishes the economic reasons for purchasing this model over the Airbus A320. The Airbus A320 family includes four models: 318, 319, 320, and 321. The Airbus A320neo family is an upgraded version of the A320 family. The main change in this series is the use of new engines with lower consumption and noise. Optimizations have also been made in aerodynamics, wing design, and aircraft systems. This narrow-body aircraft has seating capacities ranging from 140 to 200 passengers in various classes. So far, about 6,245 units of this model have been ordered, while 4,783 units of the Boeing 737 Max have been ordered. With the recent incident for Boeing and despite some technical advantages, the situation is likely to favor Airbus.