The hole left in the fuselage of Alaska Airlines' 737 MAX 9, N704AL, after its door plug blew out in January 2024. (Image: NTSB)

Can Boeing save its reputation after another MAX incident?

Once occupying a lofty perch as the biggest commercial planemaker in the world, the aviation giant has seen its reputation plummet again in the wake of yet another 737 MAX fiasco. Jake Nelson examines how the company might pull out of its tailspin.

Possibly no company in aviation has had a more calamitous fall from grace in recent years than Boeing. Once the most revered planemaker in the business with a rolled-gold reputation for safety and quality – “if it ain’t Boeing, I ain’t going”, as the saying went – the saga of the 737 MAX has since trashed its public perception, with archrival Airbus overtaking it as the world’s biggest manufacturer of passenger aircraft amid a string of high-profile MAX safety incidents.

“[The MAX 8 and MAX 9 incidents] are a series of blows on Boeing’s reputation, which are the least that any businesses want to see or experience,” says Chrystal Zhang, associate professor of aerospace engineering and aviation at RMIT University, who has written several articles about the 737 MAX crisis.

This content is available exclusively to Australian Aviation members.
Subscribe to Australian Aviation for unlimited access to exclusive content and past magazines.
Login
Become a Member
To continue reading the rest of this article, please login.
Forgot password?
To unlock all Australian Aviation magazine content and again unlimited access to our daily news and features, become a member today!
A monthly membership is only $5.99 or save with our annual plans.
PRINT
$49.95 for 1 year Become a Member
See benefits
  • Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
  • Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
PRINT + DIGITAL
$99.95 for 1 year Become a Member
$179.95 for 2 years Become a Member
See benefits
  • Unlimited access to all Australian Aviation digital content
  • Access to the Australian Aviation app
  • Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
  • Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
  • Access to our Behind the Lens photo galleries and other exclusive content
  • Daily news updates via our email bulletin
DIGITAL
$5.99 Monthly Become a Member
$59.95 Annual Become a Member
See benefits
  • Unlimited access to all Australian Aviation digital content
  • Access to the Australian Aviation app
  • Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
  • Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
  • Access to our Behind the Lens photo galleries and other exclusive content
  • Daily news updates via our email bulletin
You need to be a member to post comments. Become a member today!

Leave a Comment

You don't have credit card details available. You will be redirected to update payment method page. Click OK to continue.