British Airways' Owner Buys 200 Crisis-Hit Boeing 737 MAX

"We have every confidence in Boeing and expect that the aircraft will make a successful return to service".
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The owner of British Airways has unveiled plans to purchase 200 Boeing 737 MAX planes, even as the aircraft type remains grounded over safety fears.

International Airlines Group said it had ordered a mix of 737-8 and 737-10 aircraft, to be delivered between 2023 and 2027 to use across a number of its airlines.

“We have every confidence in Boeing and expect that the aircraft will make a successful return to service in the coming months having received approval from the regulators,” IAG’s chief executive, Willie Walsh, said in a statement.

The 737 MAX was grounded across the world by regulators in March following two fatal crashes which were found to be similar by investigators.

In October 2018, a Lion Air flight crashed killing 189 people. An Ethiopian Airlines flight crashed near the country’s capital in March this year killing 157.

Boeing has since apologised for its handling of a software glitch which affected some flight control elements of the MAX.

Walsh said he had personally experienced a demonstration of Boeing’s anti-stall software to “understand the changes” that the manufacturer was proposing.

It is uncertain when the type will be re-certified for passenger services once more, but Boeing said it was working to do so soon.