Boeing shares plummeted 8% today after an Air India Boeing 777-300ER crashed during landing at Mumbai International Airport, killing 27 passengers and crew members. The aircraft, operating as Flight AI314 from New York to Mumbai, experienced what witnesses described as a “sudden drop” before touching down hard and veering off the runway in heavy monsoon rain.
This marks the fourth major incident involving a Boeing aircraft in 2025, sending tremors through investor confidence and raising fresh questions about the aerospace giant’s safety protocols. The company’s stock closed at $137.42, down from $149.37 at yesterday’s close, wiping nearly $7 billion from Boeing’s market capitalization in a single trading session.
“This couldn’t come at a worse time for Boeing,” said aviation analyst Maya Rodriguez. “They’re still rebuilding trust after the 737 MAX crisis, and now they face another potential safety investigation that could impact their widebody program, which has been their stable revenue generator.”
Air India confirmed that the 12-year-old aircraft had undergone routine maintenance checks just last month. While early reports suggest severe weather played a significant role in the crash, investigators from India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) are examining whether mechanical failure might have contributed.
Boeing CEO David Calhoun issued a statement expressing condolences to victims’ families and pledging full cooperation with investigators. “We stand ready to provide technical assistance to the DGCA and the National Transportation Safety Board as they work to determine what happened,” Calhoun said.
Industry experts note that the crash investigation’s outcome could have far-reaching implications for Boeing’s financial health. The company was gradually regaining market share lost to European rival Airbus, with 112 aircraft delivered in the first quarter of 2025, compared to 94 in the same period last year.
“Boeing’s recovery strategy hinges on restoring confidence in their engineering excellence,” explained Dan Matthews, aerospace correspondent at CO24 Business. “Each incident erodes that confidence and potentially jeopardizes the $47 billion order backlog they’ve built up over the past year.”
Airline stocks also felt the impact, with Air India’s parent company InterGlobe Aviation dropping 5.2% on the Indian markets. Other carriers with significant Boeing fleets, including United Airlines and Southwest, saw declines between 2-3%.
The crash comes just weeks after Boeing announced a $1.2 billion investment to enhance safety systems across its manufacturing facilities, a move that now appears prescient amid renewed scrutiny of the company’s quality control processes.
As rescue operations continue in Mumbai and investigators begin the painstaking process of analyzing flight data recorders, Boeing faces the dual challenge of supporting the crash investigation while attempting to steady investor nerves. The coming days will prove critical for the aerospace manufacturer as preliminary findings emerge and markets determine whether this incident represents an isolated tragedy or evidence of deeper systemic issues at one of America’s most iconic industrial companies.
