Reuters
by Ahmed Eljechtimi, Tim Hepher
FILE PHOTO: A worker walks past unpainted Boeing 737 MAX aircraft seen parked in an aerial photo at Renton Municipal Airport near the Boeing
Moroccan national airline Royal Air Maroc (RAM) faced uncertainty over its plans for Boeing’s 737 MAX as a senior industry source close to the matter denied that a deal for more jets had been suspended.
A source from RAM told Reuters earlier that a deal to take two more of the jets had been “suspended” after 737 MAX was grounded worldwide in the wake of two accidents.
RAM had planned to receive the two 737 MAX aircraft in June, the airline source said, adding that two other 737 MAX planes already in its fleet had joined the worldwide grounding.
“We are no longer going to receive the two planes as planned,” said the source, who asked not to be identified and did not provide further details.
However, a senior industry source close to the matter, also speaking on condition of anonymity, strongly denied the report.
Royal Air Maroc and Boeing did not provide a comment.
Boeing has sold and already delivered two 737 MAX jets directly to RAM, the planemaker’s data shows.
It was not immediately clear whether any further jets that the airline may also intend to take were due to be leased.
The U.S. planemaker’s top-selling jet was grounded worldwide and deliveries were frozen in March after fatal crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia that killed 346 people.
Several airlines have said they might abandon or reduce planned orders for the jet, in some cases citing safety, but so far there have been no cancellations of firm orders. Boeing says the jet is safe but is revising software linked to the crashes.
Airline industry analysts have said some of the requests appeared designed to put pressure on Boeing over compensation and may require lengthy negotiations. Many airlines defer orders, but industry sources say aerospace firms do not allow much scope for cancellations.
In July, Saudi Arabian budget airline flyadeal said it would not proceed with a provisional $5.9 billion order for 737 MAX aircraft, instead opting for a fleet of Airbus A320 jets.
LOT Polish Airlines in June ruled out cancelling an order for grounded 737 MAX jets but urged the U.S. planemaker to take steps to restore its credibility after the two accidents.
Separately, the source said that RAM is not concerned about its fleet of 737NG planes after inspections that have taken place elsewhere in the world, saying the checks routinely take place on older jets or after a set number of flights.
RAM operates 36 of the 737NG planes. Of these, one has required such an inspection and no problems were found.
Southwest Airlines Co and Brazil’s Gol Linhas Aereas have grounded a total of 13 Boeing Co 737 NG airplanes after U.S. regulators ordered urgent inspections last week.
(Reporting by Ahmed Eljechtimi, Tim Hepher; Editing by David Goodman, Grant McCool and Neil Fullick)
