RE: boeing19 Jun 2019 14:05
Not bad news at all. I won't waste time arguing with agendas but the below is from the BBC -
Boeing has received a boost for its grounded 737 Max jet after British Airways-owner IAG signed a letter of intent to order 200 of the planes.
This is not a firm order, and strictly speaking, IAG could change its mind if it wanted to - but it will still come as a huge boost for Boeing, at a show where it has been struggling to dispel the clouds hanging over its business.
The 737 Max may still be grounded - but it remains a flagship product for the American giant. It's worth remembering it is the fastest selling product in Boeing's history. It still has more than four thousand of them on order, far more than the rest of its range put together.
What IAG seems to have offered is a vote of confidence that the company will be able to make the aircraft unquestionably safe, and be able to demonstrate to regulators that it has done so, allowing it to return to market before long.
The economic reality is that airlines need the 737 Max - because of its high efficiency and low operating costs. Airbus simply cannot supply the whole market with its rival A320neo.
The deal, if it goes ahead, would be valued at $24bn (£19bn) at list prices. But the "substantial discount" negotiated by IAG's savvy chief executive Willie Walsh is likely to be very substantial indeed.