An LATAM Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner at Sydney Airport (representational image)|Bidgee|CC BY-SA 3.0
Aircraft maker Boeing’s troubles are far from over. One of its LATAM 787 Dreamliner planes from Australia to New Zealand experienced so much turbulence on Monday that 50 passengers were injured with more than a dozen hospitalized.
Multiple major airlines in the country are feeling the impact of Boeing’s ongoing issues, including delays in plane deliveries and production slowdowns.
Due to lower-than-expected deliveries of Boeing jets, airlines are cutting back on flight capacity and reconsidering hiring plans for pilots and flight attendants.
Airlines like Southwest and United are adjusting their plans, with United halting deliveries indefinitely and seeking alternative options from Airbus.
The LATAM incident this week is the latest in a slew of setbacks Boeing has faced in 2024.
- On January 5, an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX flight’s door plug blew out mid-air, causing the FAA to briefly ground more than 171 Boeing MAX 9 planes in the US.
- United found loose bolts near the door plug of its grounded planes, and a subsequent FAA audit revealed “multiple” quality control issues at Boeing and its key supplier, Spirit AeroSystems.
- The DOJ is conducting a criminal investigation into the Alaska Airlines incident.
- John Barnett, a Boeing whistleblower from 2019, was found dead on Saturday.
And, Boeing’s shares have tanked more than 25% this year.