His criticism of the 737 — the best-selling jetliner model in history — came just weeks after he attended an event in Hanoi celebrating Vietnam's purchase of 100 of the Boeing jets.
Boeing is displaying its Boeing Business Jet, which is based on its 737 series; Airbus is showcasing its A318 Elite and A319 jetliner executive models; and Bombardier is showing five aircraft ranging in size from the long-range Global 5000 to the Learjet 60XR.
The 229 lives lost in the crash are the first deaths to result from a crash of an MD-11 jetliner since the model entered commercial service in 1990.
The fate of the jetliner — the first new model to be produced in Russia since the end of the Soviet Union — was a crushing blow to a national aerospace industry eager for revival.
Trying such a thing with the 777 made particular sense, since it was the first jetliner to be fully digitally modeled before it was physically assembled, so there were already computerized images of its components.
Back in 1990, Boeing recognized that it had an important gap in its offerings: It had no airplane positioned between its jumbo 747 jetliner and its midsize 767 model.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered inspections of newer model 737s similar to the China Airlines jetliner, then expanded the order to include older models after Boeing reported fuel leaks on some of those.
Chris Tarry, an independent analyst who has followed the airline industry for two decades, said the model was largely the result of improved jetliner range and Dubai's fortuitous location midway between Europe and Asia.
"Not traveling is really not an option, so the real question is how do we make it more sustainable," Mr. Cush said, noting that in January Virgin America placed an order for 30 Airbus A320neo jetliners, which will be 15 percent more efficient than current models while emitting far fewer pollutants.
THE NEWS Scores of older-model Boeing 737s, the world's most widely used jetliner, were pulled aside for special inspections after one tore open in flight and subsurface cracks were found in the fuselages of five more.
