Garuda Indonesia to cancel Boeing 737 MAX order

Garuda Indonesia is set to cancel their order for 49 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft following the two fatal crashes that have killed 346 people in less than six months.

Although the airline acknowledges Boeing will have a fix for the aircraft, passenger confidence has been eradicated, potentially making it hard to operate flights with the aircraft.

The airline has sent a letter to Boeing requesting the cancellation, however is yet to receive a response. Placed in 2014, the order for 50 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft was valued at around $6 billion at list prices. Garuda has only taken delivery of one of these aircraft so far and is discussing whether to return the aircraft to Boeing or to keep it.

Garuda remains limited on their answer to new aircraft should their request for cancellation move forward, however has no plans to add Airbus narrowbodies. Current discussions within the airline involve converting their 737 MAX order to other Boeing aircraft, including small widebodies.

Lion Air has also expressed their thoughts on cancelling their order for the Boeing 737 MAX, however no further information has come from the airline.

The fallout of the two crashes has left a lot of airlines and passengers weary of the 737 MAX, and although Boeing argues it’s a safe aircraft, passengers with common or minimal knowledge on the topic will tie the aircraft type to the accidents.

It’s unknown how long this fallout will last, however it will go down as one of the most covered topics in modern aviation history.