The American aircraft manufacturer Boeing, which has not yet recovered from a series of crises, has suffered another major setback.

According to comprehensive reports from Reuters and The New York Times, an India Airlines Boeing 787-8 carrying 242 people crashed shortly after takeoff at Ahmedabad Airport in western India on the afternoon of the 12th. It is currently unclear what caused the crash. In a statement, Boeing said it had learned of the preliminary report and was working to gather more information.

Late in the evening of the 12th, Boeing issued another statement in response, saying that the company was in contact with India Airlines and was ready to provide support at any time. The statement read: "We stand with passengers, crew members, first responders, and all those affected."

Following the crash, Boeing's U.S. shares plummeted rapidly before the market opened, falling by over 8%. As of 7:28 PM Beijing time on the 12th, Boeing fell by 8.29%, closing at $196.25.

Chris Beauchamp, an analyst at IG Group, told Reuters: "This is the market's instinctive reaction to this event, as people once again worry about the issues that have haunted Boeing aircraft and the company itself in recent years."

As one of the two giants that have long monopolized the global passenger aircraft market, Boeing has experienced frequent accidents in recent years, some of which were major air disasters. Including this incident in India, Boeing aircraft have been involved in four air disasters worldwide in the past six years.

In late December 2024, a world-shocking air disaster occurred at Wuan Airport in South Jeolla Province, South Korea: A Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 failed to land and crashed off the runway, hitting a wall and exploding, resulting in 179 out of 181 people on board dead, with only 2 crew members surviving. Preliminary speculation suggests the accident was caused by a bird strike preventing the landing gear from deploying.

Previously, two Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft crashes occurred in October 2018 and March 2019, totaling 346 deaths. The involved aircraft were newly delivered planes. This led to a nearly two-year grounding of the 737 MAX 8 worldwide, severely impacting Boeing's performance.

In addition, Boeing has been embroiled in lengthy legal disputes due to these two incidents. Just last month (May 23), Boeing reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, allowing the company to avoid being classified as a "felony offender" and assuming criminal liability for the crashes.

The New York Times noted that the Boeing 787 Dreamliner has previously experienced overloading operational failures causing injuries. However, according to the Aviation Safety Network database, there have been no recorded fatalities involving the Boeing 787 model in previous incidents.

Now, the first serious accident involving the 787 - Boeing's highly anticipated next-generation wide-body aircraft - will undoubtedly cause greater impact on Boeing's technical reputation and market position.

Annual reports show that in 2024, Boeing's revenue was $66.5 billion, delivering 348 civilian aircraft, representing a year-on-year decline of 14% and 34% respectively. Boeing's total loss for the year reached $11.8 billion, marking its largest loss since 2020.

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Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7515036012364448319/

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