Russian flagship carrier Aeroflot has formally canceled an order for 22 Boeing 787 Dreamliners valued at about $5.5 billion.
The US plane maker faces the growing possibility that it may have to cut production back by 2022 as the grounding of its most popular 737 MAX stretches into its eighth month, after two recent deadly crashes in Indonesia and Africa.
Boeing has dozens of unsold or potentially vacant 787 positions on its production line in 2022. However, Boeing officially booked a previously announced order from Air New Zealand for eight 787-10’s, which is the largest Dreamliner model.
Boeing Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg said last month the company was closely tracking “macro risk areas.” He added Boeing had reserved slots on its 777 and 787 production lines for Chinese orders that have been held back by the so-called trade war.
Some suppliers were surprised by his comments as plane makers typically raise output only after selling aircraft rather than opening the taps in hopes of winning orders later.
RT. com / ABC Flash Point News 2019.
Would have been sanctioned later anyways?