• by Tanya Gazdik , Yesterday

Last week’s horrific plane crash is a huge setback to both Air India and Boeing in terms of trust and reputation. 

“The fatal crash of a 787 Dreamliner that was being operated by Air India from Ahmedabad in northwestern India to London Gatwick Airport has once again fueled scrutiny of both Boeing and the airline, as the two companies have been trying to emerge from years of crises and poor reputations,” according to Al Jazeera. “The crash raises new concerns for Boeing, which continues to face mounting safety issues that have undermined public trust in its aircraft.”

India privatized the carrier in 2022 after almost 70 years of state control. 

"The government had tried for years to find someone to take Air India off its hands. It finally sold it to the Tata Group, India’s most prestigious conglomerate, for the relatively low price of $350 million,” according to The New York Times. “Management installed by the Tata Group had spent three years struggling to undo a reputation for shoddy operations earned during decades of state ownership.”

The airline was already struggling before the crash. 

“Air India hasn’t suffered crashes in its recent past, but it has been working to overcome a legacy of unprofitability and a reputation for shoddy service,” according to The Wall Street Journal. “Well-heeled rivals such as Dubai’s Emirates and Qatar Airways were siphoning off demand. Some travelers would opt for indirect flights on rivals over direct flights on Air India.”

The deadly crash puts the Air India’s ambitious turnaround plans on indefinite hold while the company does damage control. 

“The incident marks the first-ever complete loss of a 787 and, as investigations get underway, questions are growing over how the jet exploded into a fireball including around the plane’s thrust,” according to Bloomberg. “While there’s no evidence to suggest that the airline’s operational management or fleet maintenance had anything to do with the crash, reputational damage to Air India is inevitable.”

Boeing will face scrutiny along with the airline carrier. The airline carrier and GE Aerospace are scaling back their public activities.

“Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said in a message to staff on Thursday evening that he and Boeing Commercial Airplanes boss Stephanie Pope had canceled plans to attend the Paris Airshow ‘so we can be with our team and focus on our customer and the investigation,’” according to Reuters. “The air show, which runs from June 16 to June 20 at Le Bourget, is the global aviation industry's largest trade show, where many aircraft orders are typically placed by airlines.”