LONDON — The news that the Ethiopian airline pilots appeared to have followed the prescribed steps to correct the downward push of the Boeing 737 Max before trying other methods to correct the plane is bad news for Boeing and the US aviation watchdog. Although the report is only preliminary, Boeing would be in serious trouble if investigations conclude that the technology was defective or that maintenance or training programmes are to blame for the crashes of Ethiopian and Lion airlines. The US Government is conducting a criminal investigation, while the American department of transportation is investigating the certification of the 737 Max by the Federal Aviation Administration. In the meantime lawyers from around the world are preparing cases against Boeing and the airlines, which is bad news for a growing airline like Ethiopian Air. Indonesia's national airline Garuda was the first to cancel an order for 49 Boeing 737 Max 8 Jets with many others adopting a wait-and-see attitude. A software fix is in the pipeline, which could bring the Boeing 737 Max back into operation, but Boeing will find it hard to restore trust and get passengers to believe that the jets can keep them safe at 30 000 feet in the air. – Linda van Tilburg

Ethiopian Airlines pilots initially followed Boeing's required emergency steps to disable 737 MAX system