Today the Podcast Podcast Economy
Why the United States delayed in removing the Boeing 737 MAX
All Boeing 737 MAXs are now grounded. Three days after the plane crash of Ethiopian Airlines, the United States finally rallied to the decision already made by forty other countries. Why have the US authorities been so slow to react?
Boeing could have, should have taken the lead on behalf of the precautionary principle believe industry experts. This is often done by car manufacturers as soon as an anomaly is detected on a vehicle. The American aircraft manufacturer has done so in the past. But this time nothing seems to have worked according to the requirements and standards of Made in America .
Right in his boots, the leader of the FAA, the Federal Aviation Administration, still assured in the day of Tuesday that nothing justified a suspension of flights. And it was finally Donald Trump who made this announcement yesterday at midday. According to information from the Wall Street Journal , his statement has obviously taken aback and the air regulator and builder Boeing.
Boeing and the American regulator have things to reproach themselves?
Let's say that their attitude raises many questions among the elected representatives of the Transport Committee of the Congress. They would like to know why the regulator rejected the request for additional pilot training, a request made by Brazilians and Europeans in particular. They are also waiting for explanations on the lack of information surrounding the operation of the new system fitted to the 737 MAX. Probably very disturbing questions for Boeing who is not used to spread in the public square.
The aircraft manufacturer prefers to be heard discreetly through a powerful lobbying in Washington
By funding election campaigns and placing men in key positions. Current Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, for example, is a veteran of the company. After the crash, Boeing boss Dennis Muilenburg naturally called Donald Trump to reassure him about the safety of the aircraft and said there was no reason to withdraw them.
Boeing also has very strong commercial relations with the public authorities
It is the supplier of the presidential plane, the very expensive Air Force One ; it is a strategic supplier of military equipment. And above all, it is one of the few companies that is good for the US trade balance in chronic deficit. Especially in trade with China. Boeing aircraft are the first US products exported to China, far ahead of soybeans or automobiles.
An industry at the heart of ongoing trade negotiations between the two major powers
The crisis caused by the crash of the 737 MAX is therefore de facto a prominent political affair for Donald Trump. A setback. Whether the builder's liability is established or not, his reputation is now degraded because of his lack of responsiveness. A boon for Beijing, for its nascent aerospace industry, its C919 still in the testing stage, is a competitor of the 737 and of course for its aura. If Washington is struggling to get global support to exclude Huawei from 5G, the Chinese regulator was pleased to see that all the air authorities followed him, regardless of the US view.
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