Norwegian chief meets Boeing bosses in 737 Max talks
The chief executive of Norwegian Air has met with Boeing executives to discuss the 737 Max crisis that has grounded a tenth of its fleet.
Bjørn Kjos traveled to Seattle, where it is believed he pressed the planemaker on compensation for the cost of the grounding of 18 of it 737 Max jets.
Boeing has faced a worldwide ban on the 737 Max in the aftermath of two fatal aircrashes in five months that killed a combined 346 passengers and crew in Indonesia and Ethiopia.
Norwegian, which is one of the most prominent users of the Boeing's so-called state-of-the-art modern aircraft, is said to be losing up to €1.5m a day as the worldwide grounding goes on.
On my way from #London to #Seattle with some of the best pilots in the world. Always a pleasure to fly with our #Dreamliner. Meeting #Boeing to address the MAX issues. pic.twitter.com/pozWLn7ZdS
— Bjørn Kjos (@bjornkjos) April 1, 2019
The already cash-strapped airline has demanded compensation from the US firm.
It is believed Mr Kjos impressed the already incurred costs and the ongoing impact with Boeing chiefs on his visit to Seattle.
The grounding of the fleet has directly impacted Irish passengers to the US, with flights from Cork and Shannon to the east coast being postponed as Norwegian struggles to locate alternative aircraft.
The airline had organised to transfer passengers from Cork and Shannon to Dublin by bus, where they are then flying on to the US on a different Boeing aircraft, for the return of the east coast routes this week.
The bus transfer system is now expected to remain in place for a second week.
In February, Norwegian postponed deliveries of 12 of the new 737 Max aircraft from 2020 back to 2023 and 2024.
Deliveries for all airlines are currently suspended following the required grounding of the 737 Max by the US and European aviation authorities.
