The Air India plane crash on Thursday is putting a renewed spotlight on Boeing, the manufacturer of the 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft that crashed in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad with 242 passengers and crew on board.
Boeing says the 787-8 is the aviation industry’s “best-selling passenger widebody of all time,” carrying more than one billion passengers since it was first delivered to airlines in 2011.
The incident comes after a string of safety issues for Boeing, which has faced investigations and lawsuits for two crashes involving its 737 Max jetliners that killed a total of 346 people. Last month, the aircraft manufacturer reached a $1.1 billion deal with the Department of Justice that allows it to avoid prosecution for the crashes, which occurred in 2018 and 2019.
“We are in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171 and stand ready to support them. Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, first responders and all affected,” Boeing said in a statement to CBS News.
Shares of Boeing fell $15.34, or 7.2%, to $198.66 in pre-market trading.
First crash of a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
The Air India incident represents the first crash of a 787-8 Dreamliner, according to The Guardian. The aircraft has been involved in previous investigations.
The Federal Aviation Administration last year ordered inspections of the cockpit seats on the Dreamliners after one of the jets went into a dive when the captain’s seat lurched forward without warning and disconnected the plane’s autopilot system, according to the Associated Press.
The aircraft involved in the Air India crash was first delivered to the airline in January 2014.
Aimee Picchi is the associate managing editor for CBS MoneyWatch, where she covers business and personal finance. She previously worked at Bloomberg News and has written for national news outlets including USA Today and Consumer Reports.
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