Air India Flight 171 crashed last Thursday while taking off from Ahmedabad, India. The crash killed 241 people onboard the flight’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner and at least 38 people on the ground; there was only one survivor who miraculously crawled out of the plane’s wreckage. As the focus shifted to determining what caused the tragic incident, the Federal Aviation Administration faced questions on whether the Boeing model is safe enough to remain flying while the investigation is ongoing. If the American-built airliner is grounded, U.S. carriers would be disproportionately impacted.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said, “It’d be way too premature” to ground the Boeing 787 during a press conference, Reuters reports. He criticized people for using videos and photos of the crash to analyze the incident, and stated that the agency “will follow the facts and put safety first.” Duffy is partially correct. Speculation is rampant because of the plane’s apparent controlled glide into a medical school canteen. According to the BBC, experts contend that the plane’s GEnx engines may have experienced an astronomically rare double failure despite the lack of visible telltale signs.
U.S. carriers would face the brunt of a 787 grounding
If the FAA does put safety first and decides to ground the Dreamliner, nearly 1,120 Boeing planes would be taken out of service. United Airlines and American Airlines would be the heaviest impacted by a grounding, as they fly 141 Boeing 787 planes combined. The only carrier that operates more 787s is Japan’s Air Nippon Airways. However, it should be noted that most 787s flown by ANA are fitted with Rolls-Royce Trent engines, not the General Electric turbofans.
The duration of the grounding would depend on the fault found and the risk’s severity. The Boeing 737 Max was out of service for 20 months after the aircraft’s two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019. To lift the grounding, the FAA stipulated requirements for Boeing to fix the MCAS flight stabilization feature and properly train pilots to deal with the system. The debacle cost the American aviation giant over $80 billion through cancelled orders, legal fees, fines and victim compensation.
The Trump administration has been extremely kind to Boeing in recent months. The Department of Justice reached a nonprosecution agreement with the planemaker in May on fraud charges related to the Boeing 737 Max’s two fatal crashes. In the same month, President Donald Trump even closed a lucrative $96 billion deal for Qatar Airways to place the largest order in the company’s history. The Gulf carrier will take delivery of 130 Boeing 787 planes. Now, would the White House jeopardize this deal by grounding the Dreamliner?