(Bloomberg) — Indonesia’s flag carrier wants to cancel its order for 49 Boeing 737 Max 8 jets after the airline lost confidence in the model following two crashes, according to President Director I Gusti Ngurah Askhara Danadiputra. The planes were to be delivered through 2030, Danadiputra said.
PT Garuda Indonesia has sought talks with Boeing Co. on the cancellation plan, Danadiputra said in a text message on Thursday. The airline, which had ordered 50 Max 8 jets in 2014, has taken delivery of just one aircraft, which has been grounded after the Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday. The planes were to be delivered through 2030, Danadiputra said.
“After reviewing the latest development, especially the increasing customer concerns toward Max 8, we have lost the confidence in the product,” Danadiputra said.
Garuda joins Indonesian private carrier Lion Air and a number of global airlines in weighing a switch away from Boeing’s Max jetliner to other aircraft after regulators around the world decided to ground Boeing’s most popular model.
The Ethiopian Airlines crash killed all 157 people on board, less than five months after a Lion Air 737 Max jet plunged into the Java Sea. A preliminary report into that disaster, which killed 189 passengers and crew, indicated that pilots struggled to maintain control following an equipment malfunction.
