With the intention of upgrading the existing Boeing 737 Next Generation (NG) aircraft and competing with rival manufacturer Airbus with its A320 New engine option (A320neo) planes, Boeing introduced the 737 MAX series in May 2017.

At that time, Chief Test Pilot Craig Bomben addressed journalists at the Boeing Field, expressing his astonishment at the minimal noise experienced upon re-entering the cabin during the test flight.&nbsp;

According to an article by the Puget Sound Business Journal, “amazing”, “flawless” and “brilliant”, were words that people used when talking about the 737 MAX’s silent engines during its first test flight.&nbsp;

“We’re quite confident in the demand continuing to be there, given the economies this airplane is going to provide,” Puget Sound Business Journal quoted Keith Leverkhuhn, the 737 MAX program manager as saying. &nbsp;

He further emphasised that the aircraft was expected to continue the strong sales run of the previous NG version of the 737. &nbsp;

However, the cheer surrounding the newly launched aircraft died down soon. &nbsp;

The timeline &nbsp;

On October 29, 2018, a Boeing 737 MAX operated by Lion Air crashed off the coast of Indonesia, into the Java Sea – killing all 189 passengers on board.&nbsp;

This incident followed a fatal crash of another 737 MAX, operated by Ethiopian Airlines. This occurred on March 10, 2019, just five months after the previous incident. All the 157 passengers on the plane died.&nbsp;

737 MAX planes were then grounded by aviation regulators across the globe. &nbsp;

Investigations later revealed that the accidents were related to a recently introduced semi-autopilot software malfunction, compelling the aircraft to descend uncontrollably despite the pilot's efforts to rectify the flight path.&nbsp;

It was only in November 2020 that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) gave Boeing the green signal to have its 737 MAX planes return to service. &nbsp;

The FAA mandated specific system, maintenance, and training prerequisites, along with the implementation of design alterations on each aircraft, prior to issuing the airworthiness certificate.&nbsp;

Flash forward to January 5, 2024, an Alaska Airlines flight suffered an accident when a door plug on a 737 MAX 9 aircraft blew out, depressurising the cabin. The aircraft however, returned to Portland International Airport safely after declaring an emergency. &nbsp;

Following this, Alaska and United Airlines reported loose parts in their Boeing 7373 MAX planes’ door panels, ultimately leading to the grounding of the 737 MAX 9 planes.&nbsp;

The cost of tragedy and cracks in the development before 2020&nbsp;

A total of 346 people on board the two flights were killed in the two crashes involving in Lion Air and the Ethiopian Airlines. Additionally, Boeing’s best-selling jets were grounded for 20 months, at a cost exceeding $21 billion.&nbsp;

The tragedy painted a grim picture of how persistent cost-cutting and a flawed regulatory process can jeopardise lives.&nbsp;

Boeing faced intense pressure to keep up with Airbus and maintain profitability which led to prioritising cost-cutting over safety in the 737 MAX developments.&nbsp;

One main issue was the Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS),&nbsp;a new software intended to prevent stalls.&nbsp;However,&nbsp;it malfunctioned in both the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes,&nbsp;causing the planes to nosedive.&nbsp;

Boeing sought to minimise training requirements for pilots transitioning to the MAX,&nbsp;potentially compromising their ability to handle an MCAS malfunction. Cost-cutting also led to reduced staffing in crucial areas like flight crew operations,&nbsp;potentially affecting the quality of design and safety checks.&nbsp;

According to former Boeing employees,&nbsp;FAA inspectors,&nbsp;and internal documents revealed, a culture of pressure and corner-cutting was ever present within the company. Engineers faced layoffs and performance evaluations heavily focused on cost reduction,&nbsp;discouraging concerns about safety.&nbsp;

Boeing also had a close relationship with the FAA,&nbsp;raising concerns about the independence of the certification process. Internal disagreements over design choices and the adequacy of the electrical system for the 777X (a wide body aircraft) suggest systemic issues beyond the MAX.&nbsp;

The issue at present and its implications ahead&nbsp;

The recent Alaska Airlines recent incident and the subsequent grounding of over 170 Boeing jets have stirred frustration among airlines, highlighting the company’s struggle to manage safety and supply crises.&nbsp;

Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, holding 70 per cent of the MAX 9 fleet, cancelled numerous flights.&nbsp;

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun acknowledged mistakes and expressed the need to regain customer confidence. This incident intensifies existing industry frustration, with concerns about production delays affecting deliveries and hindering airlines' ability to meet demand. &nbsp;

While Airbus also faces supply challenges, Boeing's repeated setbacks, including the MAX 8 crashes in 2018 and 2019, have strained relationships with airlines.&nbsp;

The incident has sparked calls for diversification by some airlines, with Southwest Airlines reconsidering its reliance on Boeing. &nbsp;

The MAX's troubles, from crashes to ongoing technical issues, have tested airlines' patience, with a senior pilot representative suggesting a need to reduce business risk by exploring alternatives like Airbus.&nbsp;

With the intention of upgrading the existing Boeing 737 Next Generation (NG) aircraft and competing with rival manufacturer Airbus with its A320 New engine option (A320neo) planes, Boeing introduced the 737 MAX series in May 2017.

With the intention of upgrading the existing Boeing 737 Next Generation (NG) aircraft and competing with rival manufacturer Airbus with its A320 New engine option (A320neo) planes, Boeing introduced the 737 MAX series in May 2017. At that time, Chief Test Pilot Craig Bomben addressed journalists at the Boeing Field, expressing his astonishment at the minimal noise experienced upon re-entering the cabin during the test flight. According to an article by the Puget Sound Business Journal, “amazing”, “flawless” and “brilliant”, were words that people used when talking about the 737 MAX’s silent engines during its first test flight. “We’re quite confident in the demand continuing to be there, given the economies this airplane is going to provide,” Puget Sound Business Journal quoted Keith Leverkhuhn, the 737 MAX program manager as saying. He further emphasised that the aircraft was expected to continue the strong sales run of the previous NG version of the 737. However, the cheer surrounding the newly launched aircraft died down soon. The timeline On October 29, 2018, a Boeing 737 MAX operated by Lion Air crashed off the coast of Indonesia, into the Java Sea – killing all 189 passengers on board. This incident followed a fatal crash of another 737 MAX, operated by Ethiopian Airlines. This occurred on March 10, 2019, just five months after the previous incident. All the 157 passengers on the plane died. 737 MAX planes were then grounded by aviation regulators across the globe. Investigations later revealed that the accidents were related to a recently introduced semi-autopilot software malfunction, compelling the aircraft to descend uncontrollably despite the pilot's efforts to rectify the flight path. It was only in November 2020 that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) gave Boeing the green signal to have its 737 MAX planes return to service. The FAA mandated specific system, maintenance, and training prerequisites, along with the implementation of design alterations on each aircraft, prior to issuing the airworthiness certificate. Flash forward to January 5, 2024, an Alaska Airlines flight suffered an accident when a door plug on a 737 MAX 9 aircraft blew out, depressurising the cabin. The aircraft however, returned to Portland International Airport safely after declaring an emergency. Following this, Alaska and United Airlines reported loose parts in their Boeing 7373 MAX planes’ door panels, ultimately leading to the grounding of the 737 MAX 9 planes. The cost of tragedy and cracks in the development before 2020 A total of 346 people on board the two flights were killed in the two crashes involving in Lion Air and the Ethiopian Airlines. Additionally, Boeing’s best-selling jets were grounded for 20 months, at a cost exceeding $21 billion. The tragedy painted a grim picture of how persistent cost-cutting and a flawed regulatory process can jeopardise lives. Boeing faced intense pressure to keep up with Airbus and maintain profitability which led to prioritising cost-cutting over safety in the 737 MAX developments. One main issue was the Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), a new software intended to prevent stalls. However, it malfunctioned in both the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes, causing the planes to nosedive. Boeing sought to minimise training requirements for pilots transitioning to the MAX, potentially compromising their ability to handle an MCAS malfunction. Cost-cutting also led to reduced staffing in crucial areas like flight crew operations, potentially affecting the quality of design and safety checks. According to former Boeing employees, FAA inspectors, and internal documents revealed, a culture of pressure and corner-cutting was ever present within the company. Engineers faced layoffs and performance evaluations heavily focused on cost reduction, discouraging concerns about safety. Boeing also had a close relationship with the FAA, raising concerns about the independence of the certification process. Internal disagreements over design choices and the adequacy of the electrical system for the 777X (a wide body aircraft) suggest systemic issues beyond the MAX. The issue at present and its implications ahead The recent Alaska Airlines recent incident and the subsequent grounding of over 170 Boeing jets have stirred frustration among airlines, highlighting the company’s struggle to manage safety and supply crises. Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, holding 70 per cent of the MAX 9 fleet, cancelled numerous flights. Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun acknowledged mistakes and expressed the need to regain customer confidence. This incident intensifies existing industry frustration, with concerns about production delays affecting deliveries and hindering airlines' ability to meet demand. While Airbus also faces supply challenges, Boeing's repeated setbacks, including the MAX 8 crashes in 2018 and 2019, have strained relationships with airlines. The incident has sparked calls for diversification by some airlines, with Southwest Airlines reconsidering its reliance on Boeing. The MAX's troubles, from crashes to ongoing technical issues, have tested airlines' patience, with a senior pilot representative suggesting a need to reduce business risk by exploring alternatives like Airbus.

Flashback Friday: Tracing the turbulent journey of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft

Indian low-cost carrier, IndiGo received the nod from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday to wet lease (lease with operational crew) 11 Airbus A320 family narrow-body aircraft for three months, according to a report by the Times of India.

As Pratt &amp; Whitney (PW) has warned that up to 700 of its engines for the A320neo aircraft may need to be evaluated in the next three years internationally, forcing some planes to be grounded, the low-cost carrier is seeking to lease more than 20 aircraft.

IndiGo, the largest A320 operator in the world, is attempting to lease as many older generation A320ceo aircraft as possible in order to avoid being affected by the newest round of PW’s never-ending problems with its geared turbofan (GTF) A320neo engines.

“We have given the approval for wet leasing of 11 aircraft to IndiGo for three months. These are all A320 family aircraft,” Times of India quoted a senior DGCA official as saying.

The regulator has not yet received IndiGo’s request to lease additional aircraft. The following batch will only include aircraft that are leased with the low-cost carrier’s own crew operating them.

As a “stopgap” measure in response to supply chain challenges the aviation industry was experiencing, the government raised the length of time Indian airlines may wet lease wide body aircraft from six months to a year in November of last year.

Indian airlines with massive growth ambitions were unable to meet the growing demand for travel due to the large number of planes that were grounded, waiting for engines and components, and the supply of requested new aircraft from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) being impacted.

Two wide-body aircraft from Turkish Airlines have already been wet leased by IndiGo. They are utilised to fly daily between Istanbul and Delhi and Mumbai. Due to problems with PW engines, IndiGo is now looking for single aisle A320ceos instead of the single aisle A320neos, which were meant to be more fuel efficient. Approximately 50 of IndiGo’s 170 A320neo aircraft are now grounded.

PW has since issued a cautionary statement saying that “600 to 700 engines will be removed for shop visits between 2023 and 2026 (and) the accelerated removals and incremental shop visits will result in higher aircraft on ground.” The new PW warning may have a negative impact on IndiGo’s operations.

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Indian low-cost carrier, IndiGo received the nod from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday to wet lease (lease with operational crew) 11 Airbus A320 family narrow-body aircraft for three months, according to a report by the Times of India.

Indian low-cost carrier, IndiGo received the nod from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday to wet lease (lease with operational crew) 11 Airbus A320 family narrow-body aircraft for three months, according to a report by the Times of India. As Pratt & Whitney (PW) has warned that up to 700 of its engines for the A320neo aircraft may need to be evaluated in the next three years internationally, forcing some planes to be grounded, the low-cost carrier is seeking to lease more than 20 aircraft. IndiGo, the largest A320 operator in the world, is attempting to lease as many older generation A320ceo aircraft as possible in order to avoid being affected by the newest round of PW’s never-ending problems with its geared turbofan (GTF) A320neo engines. “We have given the approval for wet leasing of 11 aircraft to IndiGo for three months. These are all A320 family aircraft,” Times of India quoted a senior DGCA official as saying. The regulator has not yet received IndiGo’s request to lease additional aircraft. The following batch will only include aircraft that are leased with the low-cost carrier’s own crew operating them. As a “stopgap” measure in response to supply chain challenges the aviation industry was experiencing, the government raised the length of time Indian airlines may wet lease wide body aircraft from six months to a year in November of last year. Indian airlines with massive growth ambitions were unable to meet the growing demand for travel due to the large number of planes that were grounded, waiting for engines and components, and the supply of requested new aircraft from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) being impacted. Two wide-body aircraft from Turkish Airlines have already been wet leased by IndiGo. They are utilised to fly daily between Istanbul and Delhi and Mumbai. Due to problems with PW engines, IndiGo is now looking for single aisle A320ceos instead of the single aisle A320neos, which were meant to be more fuel efficient. Approximately 50 of IndiGo’s 170 A320neo aircraft are now grounded. PW has since issued a cautionary statement saying that “600 to 700 engines will be removed for shop visits between 2023 and 2026 (and) the accelerated removals and incremental shop visits will result in higher aircraft on ground.” The new PW warning may have a negative impact on IndiGo’s operations. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

DGCA permits IndiGo to wet lease A320 planes to tackle persistent Pratt & Whitney engine woes 

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/indigo-shares-rise-3-per-cent-post-q4-results-222209">India's biggest airline, IndiGo</a>, is close to a decision on engines that could mark a dramatic shift away from Pratt &amp; Whitney towards its French-American rival CFM but a final decision is only expected later in June, according to three people aware of the matter.

IndiGo has an order book of 430 Airbus planes of the A320neo family, of which the first 150 aircraft were to be powered by engines from United Technologies Corp's Pratt &amp; Whitney.

The Indian airline is now running a bidding process in which Pratt and CFM, jointly owned by General Electric and Safran, are competing to provide engines for the remaining 280 planes, two of the people said.

"The competition is going on ... nothing has been finalised yet. The anticipation is to get it done by the Paris air show but these things tend to go down to the wire," said one of the people, adding that Pratt will not let go easily and CFM is pushing very hard to woo the airline.

The air show is from June 17-23.

IndiGo declined to comment. Pratt did not respond to an email seeking comment.

A CFM spokeswoman said it would not comment on potential engine orders, but added that India is an important market.

Although the Pratt engines fitted on the A320neo aircraft are more fuel-efficient than its rivals, there have consistently been issues with them since they entered into service in 2016, forcing IndiGo to ground its planes several times.

While Pratt has found a fix for some of the problems and some others are expected to be fixed later this year, the snags are causing "a brand and reputational issue for the airline", said another of the sources.

"With IndiGo now having ambitions to fly to Europe and expand overseas that becomes a bigger consideration, and it's not all about the edge on fuel," said this source. 
&nbsp;

India's biggest airline, IndiGo, is close to a decision on engines that could mark a dramatic shift away from Pratt & Whitney towards its French-American rival CFM but a final decision is only expected later in June, according to three people aware of the matter.

India's biggest airline, IndiGo, is close to a decision on engines that could mark a dramatic shift away from Pratt & Whitney towards its French-American rival CFM but a final decision is only expected later in June, according to three people aware of the matter. IndiGo has an order book of 430 Airbus planes of the A320neo family, of which the first 150 aircraft were to be powered by engines from United Technologies Corp's Pratt & Whitney. The Indian airline is now running a bidding process in which Pratt and CFM, jointly owned by General Electric and Safran, are competing to provide engines for the remaining 280 planes, two of the people said. "The competition is going on ... nothing has been finalised yet. The anticipation is to get it done by the Paris air show but these things tend to go down to the wire," said one of the people, adding that Pratt will not let go easily and CFM is pushing very hard to woo the airline. The air show is from June 17-23. IndiGo declined to comment. Pratt did not respond to an email seeking comment. A CFM spokeswoman said it would not comment on potential engine orders, but added that India is an important market. Although the Pratt engines fitted on the A320neo aircraft are more fuel-efficient than its rivals, there have consistently been issues with them since they entered into service in 2016, forcing IndiGo to ground its planes several times. While Pratt has found a fix for some of the problems and some others are expected to be fixed later this year, the snags are causing "a brand and reputational issue for the airline", said another of the sources. "With IndiGo now having ambitions to fly to Europe and expand overseas that becomes a bigger consideration, and it's not all about the edge on fuel," said this source.

IndiGo close to new engine deal, may drop Pratt for CFM

Domestic budget carrier IndiGo&#39;s A320neo aircraft was grounded earlier today in Srinagar, Jammu &amp; Kashmir. According to reports, the aircraft was reported of a hydraulic leak from its engine.&nbsp;

The incident occurred within a week of the national aviation watchdog cracking its whip on airlines over stringent safety and security measures.&nbsp;

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An IndiGo A320neo aircraft grounded in Jammu &amp; Kashmir&#39;s Srinagar due to hydraulic leak from its engine.
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/975356530978643968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The private airline was earlier slapped with a notice by the national aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation. DGCA&nbsp; grounded eight of IndiGo&#39;s A320Neo planes with faulty Pratt &amp; Whitney engines. According to reports, GoAir&#39;s three such aircraft were also grounded.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/nepal-plane-crash-aftermath-after-dgca-cracks-whip-indigo-cancels-47-flights-across-india-35604">DGCA&#39;s order, that was issued earlier this week</a>, cited safety measures for the airlines. The directive grounded A320 Neos Airbus fitted with PW1100 engines beyond ESN 450 with immediate effect.

Three other IndiGo A320Neo planes have been on the ground since February following similar engine problems. 
&nbsp;

Three other IndiGo A320Neo planes have been on the ground since February following similar engine problems

Domestic budget carrier IndiGo's A320neo aircraft was grounded earlier today in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir. According to reports, the aircraft was reported of a hydraulic leak from its engine. The incident occurred within a week of the national aviation watchdog cracking its whip on airlines over stringent safety and security measures. An IndiGo A320neo aircraft grounded in Jammu & Kashmir's Srinagar due to hydraulic leak from its engine. — ANI (@ANI) March 18, 2018 × The private airline was earlier slapped with a notice by the national aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation. DGCA grounded eight of IndiGo's A320Neo planes with faulty Pratt & Whitney engines. According to reports, GoAir's three such aircraft were also grounded. DGCA's order, that was issued earlier this week, cited safety measures for the airlines. The directive grounded A320 Neos Airbus fitted with PW1100 engines beyond ESN 450 with immediate effect. Three other IndiGo A320Neo planes have been on the ground since February following similar engine problems.

Jammu and Kashmir: IndiGo A320neo aircraft grounded due to leak in engine

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