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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Norwegian Air cancels order for 97 Boeing aircraft

A Boeing 737 Max being built for Norwegian Air International taxis for a test flight, at Renton Municipal Airport in Renton, Wash., on Dec. 11, 2019.   (Associated Press)
Associated Press

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Low-cost carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle said Tuesday it has canceled its 97 outstanding orders for planes from U.S. manufacturer Boeing.

Norwegian said in a statement it had terminated the purchase agreements of five 787 Dreamliners and 92 737 Max aircraft.

The Oslo-based company also said it had filed a legal claim seeking the return of payments made for the aircraft. It is also seeking compensation for losses it claims it incurred from the global grounding of the 737 Max planes as well as engine issues on the 787.

Talks with Boeing have “not led to an agreement with a reasonable compensation,” the carrier said in the statement.

The 737 MAX has been grounded around the world since March 12, 2019 following deadly crashes involving the plane model.

Norwegian Air meanwhile had technical issues with the Rolls Royce engines on the Dreamliner planes. The British company had discovered problems with its Trent 1000 engines, which power Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

Norwegian said the problems “affected reliability and resulted in premature and unplanned maintenance, which has disrupted the company’s operations and caused further significant losses.”