Boeing brand sentiments takes a hit post Qatar Airways turbulence incident

Boeing's brand sentiments have taken a hit following the recent incident involving Qatar Airways. On 26 May 2024, Qatar Airways' passengers and crew members aboard flight QR017, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, experienced a bout of turbulence while airborne over Türkiye from Doha to Ireland. 

Flight QR017 landed shortly before 1pm local time, said Dublin Airport, adding that the plane landed safely and as scheduled. Upon landing, the aircraft was met by emergency services, including Airport Police and Dublin Airport's Fire and Rescue department, due to six passengers and six crew on board reporting injuries. 

In a statement, Qatar Airways confirmed that the flight landed safely and that "a small number of passengers and crew sustained minor injuries in flight and are now receiving medical attention."

"The matter is now subject to an internal investigation. The safety and security of our passengers and crew are our top priority," it added. 

Don't miss: Singapore Airlines holds brand sentiment steady despite turbulence crisis 

Following the incident, Boeing's brand sentiments plummeted to 66.2% negative from 59.6% prior to the SQ turbulence where Boeing was also the aircraft manufacturer, according to media intelligence firm CARMA. In addition, words such as 'turbulence', 'injured' and 'died' dominated the word cloud. 

This incident took place five days after a Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore was forced to land in Bangkok due to severe turbulence, leading to the death of one passenger and 20 others injured. The incident further tarnished Boeing's reputation among netizens, said Divika Jethmal, head of marketing, Asia at CARMA. The brand's word cloud included words such as 'flight', 'good' and 'support'.

According to CARMA, the situation involving Singapore Airlines was not directed towards the airline's service and response, but instead, focused on the situation which involved a death and injuries. Netizens also posted their concerns about passenger safety and the maintenance of older aircrafts such as the Boeing 777, SQ321’s aircraft model.

CARMA's report also said that even before the investigation of the situation, many netizens have posted about their fears of flying on Boeing aircrafts. Meanwhile, others were seen defending the structural integrity of the Boeing aircrafts as SQ321 managed to safely land in Thailand in one piece after the severe turbulence.

Following the incident, Boeing released a statement which read, "We are in contact with Singapore Airlines regarding flight SQ321 and stand ready to support time. We extend our deepest condolences to the family who lost a loved one, and our thoughts are with the passengers and crew."

Thus far, Boeing has not released a statement regarding the incident with Qatar Airways. MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out for more information. 

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