Aircraft manufacturer Boeing paid Alaska Airlines $160 million in compensation for losses after the January accident the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. Due to depressurization, it made an emergency landing shortly after takeoff and lost part of the fuselage, the BBC reported.
According to Alaska Airlines, the funds will be used to “replace lost revenue in the first three months of the year” when thousands of flights were canceled. In addition, the airline expects additional payments in the coming months. In January, the airline announced a possible loss of approximately USD 150 million.
Boeing did not comment on the payment, but previously warned it expected to spend at least $4 billion more than planned in the first quarter.
After the January emergency with the Boeing 737 MAX, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered a temporary suspension of the operation of this type of aircraft and conduct inspections. They lasted six weeks and affected Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems, which manufactures the plane's fuselage. In March, The New York Times reported that Boeing had failed 33 of 89 FAA inspections.
The Boeing 737 is a family of narrow-body short- and medium-haul passenger and transport aircraft. The aircraft has been produced by the corporation since 1967. The Boeing 737 has become the most popular passenger aircraft in the history of civil aviation. The ten thousandth aircraft was delivered on March 13, 2018