The BOEING 737-MAX Story

On October 29, 2019 Lion Air flight # 610 crashed shortly after take-off.  All 109 occupants perished. The aircraft was a new Boeing 737-MAX 8.

Ethiopian Airlines flight # 302 crashed shortly after take-off on March 10, 2019. All 149 occupants perished. This aircraft too was a new Boeing 737-MAX 8.

Questions that have arisen following these two crashes include;  should safety ever be compromised in the process of meeting commercial deadlines, to what end can an old design be upgraded and updated before it becomes necessary to retire it, and start anew, where does a government draw the line between encouraging domestic innovation and production and enforcing critical safety standards? Must the two be mutually exclusive?

Our speaker, Rajeev Wijesinghe, an international trade consultant specializing in customs compliance and taxation, was a Rotary Exchange student in 1997 that led him to experience Rotary’s global presence through his eyes and has been a Rotarian since 2008 and  Paul Harris Fellow +3.

He is Past President, Rotary Club of Mississauga West 2012 to 2014, also Past District Chair, Rotary Youth Exchange 2015-2017 and currently Assistant Governor and District Youth Protection Officer District 7080.

Rajeev began flying at 13, was a licensed pilot at 16, and will detail the story of the 737 –MAX aircraft, and answer questions on this topical subject.