Boeing Considers Renaming 737 MAX As Zero Sales Continue

Boeing seems to be giving a thought to the suggestion by President Donald Trump to rebrand the grounded 737 Max.

The once bestseller has become the most infamous aircraft after its grounding following two fatal crashes in Indonesia and Africa. Adding more to the distress is zero orders for the aircraft.

On the sidelines of the ongoing Paris Air Show, Boeing CFO Greg Smith hinted the possibility of a name change.

"I'd say we're being open-minded to all the input we get," he said.

Smith said Boeing is committed to doing what is required to restore it. “If that means changing the brand to restore it, then we'll address that. If it doesn't, we'll address whatever is a high priority,” he added.

Getting back 737 back to skies is the top priority

At the same time, Boeing asserted that that name change is not a top priority. Right now, Boeing is looking for the safe return of the aircraft to the skies for service.

Grounded since March, the 737 Max is yet to have a timeframe on airline regulators' nod to fly again.

As a bestselling aircraft, the 737 Max had a backlog of nearly 5,000 orders of the jets. But no order came graced after the plane was grounded implying the stigma is taking away the business.

However, rebranding a plane because of a crash is an unprecedented step, according to many aviation experts.

Even aircraft that had high profile crashes such as the DC-10 or 727 did not change their names.

The reason being airlines will not view the plane differently because there is a new name. Secondly, passengers who buy tickets are unconcerned or unaware of what type of plane they will be flying.

Boeing 727 survived despite four crashes

Boeing can take comfort that historically passengers’ fear over a plane's safety would get over fast.

An example is Boeing 727 that had four fatal crashes after it came into service in the mid-1960s. Travel agents used to caution passengers that they book flights on other aircraft.

But the problem was soon solved by enhanced pilot training and passengers returned to 727 flights and it remained in service for many years with the same name.

Meanwhile, Paris Air show was a shocker for Boeing as no new order came for Boeing planes.

Boeing competitor Airbus received orders for 123 planes, according to the aviation consulting firm IBA.iQ.

Anticipating the order crunch, CEO Dennis Muilenburg stated that the air show would not be the occasion for Boeing to showcase orders but it will be an opportunity to reassure customers and suppliers that progress is being made in getting the grounded 737 Max back in the air.

Airbus had a bonanza from the order of Air Lease Corporation at $11 billion for 100 Airbus planes, including 27 XLR’s.

That company is into the leasing of planes to airlines across the world.

The A321XLR is a narrow-body plane and the latest offering by Airbus.

Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury expressed confidence that the stretch version of its A321LR will get certifications in the next four years. Faury said there is strong demand for the plane after unveiling it.

The Boeing stock was up 2.23 percent on Monday.