Ari Ashkara, CEO of Indonesian flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, has reportedly stated to news network Nikkei Asian Review that the airline’s cancelled order for 49 737 MAX 8 aircraft will be replaced with an order for the larger 737 MAX 10 and 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
While no quantities or official announcement has been made, it comes as a surprise that Garuda Indonesia would be placing an order for a different variant of the 737 MAX shortly after cancelling the MAX 8.
In March, Garuda stated the reason for cancelling its outstanding 49 737 MAX 8s after just a single delivery was “[…]Garuda passengers in Indonesia have lost trust and no longer have the confidence [in the 737 MAX]”. The news came in the aftermath of the second fatal crash of the aircraft type, when Ethiopian Airlines ET302 crashed on 10th March.
It will come as good news for Boeing, who’s stock price has dropped over 10% since the crash, and many are criticising the company’s handling of the situation. A criminal investigation is ongoing into how the 737 MAX was certified by the FAA. The 737 MAX was grounded worldwide on 13th March, and Boeing has suspended deliveries of the aircraft and reduced production rates until a certifiable solution to the cause of the crashes of both Lion Air flight JT610 and Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 has been implemented.
Matt is a Berlin-based writer and reporter for International Flight Network. Originally from London, he has been involved in aviation from a very young age and has a particular focus on aircraft safety, accidents and technical details.
