CAL ready to scrap Max-8 deal if planes faulty

(Trinidad Guardian) Caribbean Airlines will seek legal advice concerning the lease agreement it has in place for a batch of Boeing 737 Max-8 planes to boost its fleet in December.

Acting Prime Minister Colm Imbert yesterday said the airline had been instructed to review its options concerning the agreement given the safety concerns raised in the wake of the latest air tragedy involving one of the planes in Ethiopia recently.

“Caribbean Airlines has been authorised and instructed by me to get the best advice in the world with respect to these leases and also to put contingency arrangements in place with the aircraft leasing companies with respect to alternative aircraft in the event that as we get closer to December, the FAA decides that there is a permanent problem with the Max-8,” Imbert said during the postCabinet media briefing.

In a release yesterday, CAL once again clarified it did not currently have any Boeing 737 Max-8s and would not introduce the plane to its fleet if it did not meet international standards. CAL had planned to add the Max-8s to its fleet through a lease in December.

The Trinidad and Tobago Civil Aviation Authority issued a prohibition order to all operators of Boeing 737 Max 8 & 9 aircraft on Wednesday, hours after the United States officially grounded those aircraft after several other countries took similar action.