While most everyone has heard about the incident where a 737 operated by Southwest Airlines had to make an emergency landing due to a hole that developed in the roof and now the question is what kind of impact will this have on aircraft sales. This incident seems to keep reappearing in the news as a result of follow up inspections revealing possible problems among other 737s that Southwest operates and potential problems with 737 models operated by other airlines. Whether or not this is a widespread problem, it will most certainly affect aircraft sales for Boeing. The 737 has been a staple in the world of Boeing Aircraft and there have been more 737s built than any other aircraft in the world. It is likely that many airlines will shy away from ordering new 737s simply due to the negative press that this incident has received.
Even if there is not a widespread problem with the aircraft, the damage has been done and people will probably be less likely to book a flight in which a 737 is used. In general whenever there is a negative incident people seem to remember it for far longer than any positive things. The Southwest incident is still under investigation but there has been a lot of information released preliminarily which points to a flaw in the manufacturing process. If the investigation ultimately reveals that there is indeed a widespread problem in the way that the 737 models are manufactured it could be devastating to new aircraft sales of the 737 for Boeing.
There has been some evidence that after many takeoff/landing cycles the sheet metal & rivets are exposed to a lot of expansion which is too much stress for the materials. The findings are unclear as to whether this is a problem with the manufacturing process, materials or aircraft maintenance. Although it does seem likely that it is a problem with the design or manufacturing. The reason for this is that some of the 737s inspected by Southwest showed cracks in the airframe or other signs of stress that could eventually lead to problems. The good thing about this situation is that it was brought to light before it became a major accident that resulted in injuries.
By approaching the problem proactively Boeing may be able to save face and minimize the impact that this will have on aircraft sales for the company. This problem with the 737s seems to keep popping up in the media every so often whenever new tidbits of information are released by the FAA or Southwest. If this continue or if there are more widespread problems identified Boeing could have a big problem on their hands with the 737. The question at that point would be whether they should discontinue manufacturing the model or not. In all they have had a great run with the 737 and it probably wouldn’t be the worst thing to discontinue the model and replace it with a more current design.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.