Boeing Rival Airbus Reacts To 'Unacceptable' Air India Tragedy

Boeing rival, Airbus, has issued a statement in the backdrop of the tragic Air India crash that left nearly 300 people dead in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad earlier this week. Christian Scherer, the chief commercial officer at Airbus, said safety, not competition, must remain the industry's top priority.

"Safety is in everything that we do, so the tragedy in India -- we don't see that in any way, shape or form as a competitive input," Mr Scherer said ahead of the Paris Air Show, the industry's biggest event of the year, as per Bloomberg.

"It is, if anything, a reminder to us all that aviation has become so safe that, statistically speaking, every accident is totally unacceptable," he added.

Air India flight AI 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed soon after takeoff from the Sardar Vallabhbhai International Airport on Thursday, killing 241 of the 242 people on board. The London-bound flight was carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members when it crashed -- making it one of the deadliest aviation disasters in a decade and the first fatal incident involving a Dreamliner.

Boeing's new CEO, Kelly Ortberg, cancelled his trip to Paris in the aftermath of the tragedy and issued his condolences to the families of the victims, whilst offering help for the investigation.

"Safety is foundational to our industry and is at the core of everything that we do. Our technical experts are prepared to assist investigators to understand the circumstances, and a Boeing team stands ready to travel to India," said Mr Ortberg.

The cause of the crash remains unknown at this stage, but authorities have recovered the black box, which could provide clues into the ill-fated flight that crashed within seconds of takeoff.

Also Read | "How Is Airbus Not Suing Google?" AI Wrongly Blames Airbus For Air India Boeing Crash

Boeing's troubles

In recent years, Airbus has edged ahead in the competition against Boeing, with the American company still grappling with multiple crises that predate the Ahmedabad tragedy. Its 737 MAX narrow-body plane has been marred in controversy owing to two deadly crashes and a recent door-panel blowout.

Several whistleblowers have also raised concerns about the firm's production standards. John Barnett, a whistleblower who worked for Boeing for more than 30 years before retiring in 2017, was found dead from a gunshot wound last year. In the days before his death, he had been providing evidence in a whistleblower lawsuit against the company.