Originally Posted by
Yellowbelly
Boeing's 737 Max cleared to fly in the US after crashes:
US safety regulators have cleared Boeing's 737 Max plane to fly again, lifting grounding orders put in place in March 2019 after two deadly crashes.
It marks a milestone for Boeing which was thrust into crisis by the tragedies and investigations that blamed company failures for the accidents.
Its financial woes deepened this year as air travel slowed due to the virus.
Existing aircraft will need to be modified before going back into service, with changes to their design.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-54981658
It will be interesting to see how IAG now responds regarding the LOI. On the one hand, Boeing may be so desperate that they cut an amazing deal with IAG (maybe throwing in X years of free maintenance and support given their new maintenance facility at LGW). On the other, does anywhere in the IAG group need new SH planes for the foreseeable future? One positive is an IAG order may signify a commitment to LGW as I recall a reasonable proportion of the order were destined to replace the Airbii at Gatters.
Boeing may also be desperate to get some forward work for their new LGW facility as I understood a lot of the capacity was planned to be used for maintenance of the Norwegian 787 and 737 fleets. That's not gonna happen anytime soon.