The Boeing 737 MAX disasters shook the trust of airlines, passengers, and regulators globally. This viewpoint draws from the lessons of the MAX groundings to illustrate the importance of selecting, monitoring, and acting upon risk indicators to preemptively manage risk, as well as provide opportunities to reduce total cost of risk, improve financial performance, and assure the board that risk is being addressed on a controlled and informed basis. The 737 MAX was advertised as reliable, efficient, and "a pilot's best friend," but questions were raised about the design and software in use on the MAX. The global grounding of the 737 MAX, affecting 387 planes from 59 airlines, has cost Boeing over $18 billion in addition to considerable reputational damage.
