Boeing's troubles keep mounting: Air India plane crash the latest setback for US aircraft manufacturer

This is the first time a Boeing 787 Dreamliner has crashed since its introduction by the airline manufacturer in 2011, but this ghastly incident has occurred just weeks after the company agreed to the $1.1 billion 737 Max payout for the 2018 and 2019 air crashes. 

Boeing's share prices tanked as soon as the news of the Air India plane crash broke, with history suggesting that airline companies using Boeing 787s have faced widespread engine troubles. Some airlines even had to go to the extent of grounding flights and even reducing operations, but the overall record of the Dreamliner has been good until this crash near Ahmedabad airport.

Further trouble for Boeing

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, operated by Air India, was en route to London from Ahmedabad airport on June 12. But a few moments after taking off, it crashed into Meghani Nagar, located just 15 kilometres away from the airport. The plane was carrying 242 people on board, who included 230 passengers, among whom ex-Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was also present. This spells new trouble for Boeing, as the airline has had to face several investigations over the years by the US safety regulator, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which even included a mid-air dive on a Latam flight last year, according to The Guardian.

During the Washington hearings last year, a whistleblower had even urged the airline manufacturer to ground all Boeing 787 Dreamliners across the world, owing to safety concerns. According to reports, Boeing maintained its confidence in the plane's performance and ignored this plea by the whistleblower.

Only last month, Boeing had agreed to pay up a whopping $1.1 billion in a deal with the US Department of Justice to avoid prosecution with regard to the 2018 and 2019 crashes, which cumulatively took the lives of 346 people. The families of the victims in these crashes were very critical of this payout by Boeing and even called it “morally repugnant”.

As of now, Air India has operated 30 Dreamliner planes since 2012, and the aircraft's safety and flying records until the crash were mostly satisfactory. Boeing has issued a statement in regard to this crash, saying, "We are aware of initial reports and are working to gather more information."