For COPA and Aeromexico, Boeing 737 MAX 9 Crisis Hurts

Many things have been said about the 737 MAX’s quality meltdown and its ripple effect on Boeing’s narrowbody workhorse and best seller. The mid-rear cabin door plug failure will have long-lasting consequences for the OEM and the MAX 9 operators, setting aside the medium-term fallout of the -7 and -10 variants’ certification process. Yesterday

, we noted feedback from MAX 9 operators outside was yet to be heard; today, we have some from Latin America.

In Latin America, two operators are obliged to carry the weight of the crisis: Panamanian COPA and Mexican Aeromexico. Both companies are 737-9  early adopters in the region, taking advantage of its extended capabilities. They are now facing a dilemma: besides the inconvenience of a partially grounded fleet, the MAX 9 is instrumental for them to compete in some of their most profitable routes.

COPA grounded 21 of its 29 737-9 aircraft, a decision that hit 32 of the carrier’s 80 destinations: US markets like Washington, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, and San Francisco, and the biggest Latin American cities like Buenos Aires, Bogota, Sao Paulo, and Santiago de Chile.