Boeing does not expect slowdown in deliveries to Indian carriers due to scrutiny after recent issues

ALSO READ: Akasa Air orders 150 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to boost domestic, international expansion plans

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also said it would conduct an audit of the plane's production line, adding it believed there were "significant problems" with the 737 Max 9 jet as well as "other manufacturing problems".

Announcing the latest measures, Boeing's commercial airplanes president and CEO Stan Deal had said the company was "not where we need to be".

Scrutiny of Boeing has been renewed after the blowout on the Alaska Airlines flight from Portland, Oregon to California, which forced an emergency landing but resulted in no serious injuries.

The US aerospace giant has been struggling to restore confidence after crashes in 2018 and 2019 involving a different plane in the 737 Max group killed 346 people.

Poor design of a piece of its flight control system was found to play a role in those crashes, and authorities grounded its popular 737 Max planes globally for more than 18 months. Lax oversight by the FAA was also faulted.

Boeing estimates that airlines based in south Asian countries including India will add more than 2,700 planes over 20 years — quadrupling the region’s current fleet.

Of the 2,705 new deliveries, 72 percent will support fleet growth while 28 percent will replace older jets with more fuel-efficient models.

Single-aisle airplanes will account for more than 85 percent of new airplane deliveries, the company said, including 2,320 single-aisle planes, 380 widebody planes, and five freighters.

The company forecasts the South Asia region will become the fastest-growing commercial aviation market with more than eight percent annual traffic growth over the next 20 years.

“Indian low-cost carriers continue to stimulate demand and connect emerging regions with low fares, holding nearly a 90 percent share of all domestic seats in the region. This reflects the rapid pace of the region’s recovery and economic activity, as traffic and capacity now exceed pre-pandemic levels,” said Hulst.

He added that long-haul traffic and capacity to and from India and South Asia lead the way globally, relative to 2019, as nonstop services to North America, Europe, East Asia, and Oceania continue to be added.

"Strong economic growth and confidence in the commercial aviation market have led to record orders for new, more efficient airplanes in India,” Hulst said.

Hulst added that out of the deliveries made to Indian carriers, only a dozen-odd aircraft were meant for delivery to foreign carriers.

He added that Boeing is not planning to compete with the Airbus A321 XLR range of aircraft, which will be delivered to India's largest carrier IndiGo.

"Historically, long-range single-aisle aircraft are a very niche market and we don't plan to increase our product range to compete on the 10-hour range," Hulst said.

He added that Boeing has invested $ 100 million for training 737 Max pilots in India in 2023.

Earlier in the day, an Atlas Air Boeing 747-8 cargo plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Miami International Airport after experiencing an engine malfunction shortly after departure.

"The crew followed all standard procedures and safely returned to MIA," Atlas Air said in a statement, adding that it would conduct an inspection to determine the cause of the incident which occurred late on January 19.

Unverified videos on social media platform X showed flames shooting out of the left wing of the aircraft while in flight. Reuters could not immediately verify the authenticity of the videos.

The aircraft involved was a Boeing 747-8, Flightaware data showed. Boeing's 747-8 is powered by four General Electric GEnx engines.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded and no injuries were reported, the airport told Reuters. It was not immediately clear how many crew were on board.

Boeing shares are down about 15 percent since the Alaska Airlines incident.