The management of the Latin American Copa Airlines has requested compensation for damages from the Boeing Group due to the over 1700 cancelled flights in total (around 20%) due to the operational block on B-737 Max 9 aircraft. A stop came following the explosion in flight of a plug door on flight AS1282 operated with a Max 9 (registration number N704AL) on 5 January 2024 by the US carrier Alaska Airlines.

"There is an ongoing negotiation with Boeing. We expect to be fully compensated". The US manufacturer remains "an important partner. However, we hold them responsible for the accident and its impact on our passengers and our finances, for which we expect to be fairly compensated", explained Pedro Heilbron, CEO of the Panamanian company.

Copa Airlines is the largest operator of B-737 Max 9s outside the United States, with 29 aircraft in its fleet. In the past few hours, during the presentation of the financial results for the fourth quarter of 2023, the company's manager stated that 21 aircraft remained on the ground after the incident on the Alaska Airlines flight. Boeing, which is trying to regain customer trust, will now also have to avoid taking legal action.

On the same topic, see also the article published by AVIONEWS.