Boeing’s woes are a “burden” for the entire sector, says an Airbus executive

FRANKFURT (Reuters): Safety and quality problems revealed at Boeing after door plugs exploded earlier this year could shake travelers’ confidence in flying, the chief executive of rival Airbus said.

Christian Scherer, CEO of Airbus’ commercial aircraft division, told German weekly WirtschaftsWoche that the problems were a “burden for the entire industry.”

“Boeing’s problems may make more people question the safety of flying,” Scherer is quoted as saying.

Boeing has been under increasing pressure over factory inspections since Jan. 5, when an in-flight door plug sheared off a best-selling 737 MAX series jet in an accident caused by missing screws.

Scherer rejected claims that Airbus could raise the price of its own jets as a result of Boeing’s problems, adding that pricing was driven solely by demand outpacing supply and that it was difficult to predict how the situation would develop in the future.

“I dare say that a sick competitor may behave in a relatively unpredictable way. If a company inadvertently ends up with dozens of planes in stock, a massive sale could ensue.”

(Reporting by Christoph Steitz; Editing by Jason Neely)