Air India Crash: Boeing Rival, Airbus, Finally Speaks after Disaster: “No Competition”

• Boeing’s archrival, Airbus, has spoken after the deadly Air India disaster which claimed over 240 lives
• Airbus’ chief commercial officer, Christian Scherer, said industry players should prioritise safety over competition
• He added that safety is everything and should be at the core of the industry’s standards to prevent future disasters

Legit.ng’s Pascal Oparada has reported on tech, energy, stocks, investment and the economy for over a decade.

Airbus, Boeing's archrival, has finally spoken following the Air India disaster that claimed the lives of over 240 passengers in the Indian city of Ahmedabad.

Airbus’ chief commercial officer, Christian Scherer, said that safety, instead of competition, must be a top priority in the industry.

Safety is crucial: Airbus taunts Boeing

According to Scherer, safety is very crucial so that the industry does not witness more of the Air India tragedy in the future in any shape or form.

Bloomberg reports that Scherer disclosed this ahead of the Paris Air Show, the industry’s biggest event.

"It is, if anything, a reminder to us all that aviation has become so safe that, statistically speaking, every accident is totally unacceptable," he said.

Air India flight A1 171, Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, went down soon after takeoff on Thursday, June 12, 2025, killing almost all passengers on board.

How the Boeing Dreamliner crashed

The London-bound Air India flight carried 242 passengers and 12 crew members when it crashed, marking one of the deadliest air disasters in the aviation industry in over a decade.

Reports say Boeing’s new CEO, Kelly Ortberg, called off his trip to Paris following the tragedy, consoled with the families and relatives of the victims and offered help with the investigation.

Ortberg said safety remains the industry’s hallmark and at the core of everything, stating that Boeing’s technical experts are prepared to assist investigators in unravelling the circumstances.

Experts pick holes in Boeing’s operations

Experts and stakeholders are still investigating the cause of the crash; however, authorities have recovered the black box, which might give some insight into what happened.

Analysts have said Airbus has moved ahead against Boeing in competition, with the US aviation firm still grappling with multiple crashes before the Air India disaster.

They say that Boeing’s 737 MAX narrow-body plane has been controversial due to two crashes and a recent door-panel blowout.

Whistleblowers raise alarm

NDTV reports that many whistleblowers have also raised concerns about Boeing’s production standards. 

According to the report, John Barnett, a whistleblower who worked for Boeing for over three decades before retiring in 2017, was found dead from gunshot injuries in 2024.

Before his death, Barnett provided evidence in a whistleblower case against Boeing.

Air Peace launches long-haul flight to St.Kitts and Nevis

Legit.ng earlier reported that Nigeria’s largest carrier, Air Peace, has become the first Nigerian airline to fly to Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport in Basseterre in St. Kitts and Nevis.

The airline's statement recently disclosed that it deployed a Boeing 777 aircraft to the airport, becoming the first Nigerian airline on the St. Kitts and Nevis arrivals board.

According to the statement, the milestone came amid an arranged Pan-African business conference in the Eastern Caribbean, with delegates from Nigeria.

Proofreading by Kola Muhammed, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng