Asked whether Qatar Airways would review its order for the 737 MAX 8 aircraft in the light of the recent Lion Air crash in Indonesia, al-Baker said, “Any aircraft that comes into a mishap is a great concern for the entire airline community. But let us not jump to conclusions.” Lion Air’s Boeing 737 MAX flight from Jakarta to Pangkal Pinang went missing 13 minutes after take-off on October 29. It crashed into the sea, news agency Reuters reported citing Indonesian authorities.
Subsequently, the Indonesian search and rescue agency confirmed that all 189 aboard crashed Lion Air jet were ‘dead’.
Al-Baker noted that “aeroplanes don’t get certified if there are any issues relating to their safety.”
“And 737 MAX actually is not a completely brand new aeroplane. It is the evolution of the 737 family. Many aeroplanes have gone down for different reasons. It does not mean there was something wrong technically with the aeroplane,” al-Baker told Gulf Times yesterday.
“At the end of the day, if you are driving your car and you did not put the bolts properly on the wheel and the wheels come up, it does not mean the car that you are driving was not safe,” al-Baker noted.
The Qatar Airways group chief executive said, “Any agreement that an airline signs has options… and we have firm and options, still on the 60 aeroplanes. And we will stay with our agreement with Boeing.
“With Qatar Airways contracts, we have huge flexibility – we never sign a contract that is not in the best interest of our company.”
Qatar and Boeing, the world’s largest aerospace company, continue to enjoy an “excellent” relationship.
In an interview with Gulf Times during the IATA AGM in Sydney earlier this year, Boeing’s senior vice-president (International Sales) Marty Bentrott said, “Our relationship with the State of Qatar and its outstanding airline Qatar Airways is terrific. We really cherish our partnership with Qatar Airways and will continue to closely maintain it.”
