Concerns rise over Boeing's safety record after string of incidents

Boeing - one of the world’s largest airplane manufacturers and once its most well respected - has seen  a string of concerning incidents have tarnished that reputation.   This year alone, we’ve seen a door plug blow off mid-flight on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 in January, while closer to home, a LATAM Airlines flight from Sydney to Auckland plunged mid-air – injuring at least 50 passengers, some seriously.  It comes only a few years after two fatal crashes involving Boeing 737 Max plans only five months apart. 189 people died when Lion Air Flight 610 crashed into the Java Sea in October 2018, and in March 2019, an Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed, killing 157 people. One of those people was Graziella de Luis y Ponce, a United Nations interpreter.   Her brother is Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics lecturer, Javier de Luis. He was then asked to serve on the US Federal Aviation Administration’s panel that reviewed Boeing’s safety practice last year.   He joins The Front Page today to discuss the ongoing issues with Boeing.  Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network. Host: Chelsea DanielsSound Engineer: Paddy FoxProducer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.