[120519.EN.AIR] Chinese Airlines Mull Class Action Against Boeing For 737 Max Groundings

AIR China, China Southern and China Eastern are exploring legal options on how to coordinate their claims against Boeing for compensation for the groundings of its 737 Max after the plane crashed in Indonesia and the US, reports Bloomberg.

China's "big three" state-run air carriers operate 53 of the 96 Max planes now grounded in the country, according to data from VariFlight, a local aviation statistics company.

The carriers also accounted for 65 per cent of passengers who flew Chinese airlines in 2018, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

A coordinated approach could give the airlines more leverage to gain concessions as China's influence in the aviation world keeps rising. The country was the first major authority to ground Boeing's top-selling 737 Max in March, despite assessments by the US authority at the time that the plane was safe to fly, and upending a decades-long tradition among air safety regulators.

Carriers such as Xiamen Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines and Shandong Airlines have also taken delivery of the Max, while Ruili Airlines, Donghai Airlines and Okay Airways are awaiting delivery.

Source : HKSG.