China’s airline association said on Friday that it would help 13 of its member airlines claim compensation from Boeing, estimating a loss of € 520 million from the flight ban of their 737 MAX aircraft.
On March 11, the day after the Ethiopian crash, China was the first country in the world to order its carriers to ground this type of aircraft. The disaster killing 157 people came a little over five months after the crash of another 737 MAX aircraft of Indonesian airline Lion Air, which killed 189 people.
“As time goes by, the losses (of the airlines) will increase further,” the Chinese Air Transport Association (CATA) said in a statement. “It is not currently possible to know the date of return to service of this type of aircraft.”
By the end of June, the Chinese airline sector will have accumulated losses estimated at 4 billion yuan (520 million euros), said the association.
According to the latest official report, these 13 Chinese airlines have grounded a total of 96 Boeing 737 MAX 8s.