While Beijing’s decision to suspend purchases from US planemakers seemed drastic, the Chinese beg to differ, says aviation consultant Shukor Yusof. SINGAPORE: It is astonishing how fast a brand can fall from grace. Boeing was once the world’s largest planemaker, pipping its archrival Airbus with 806 commercial aircraft deliveries to 800 in 2018. In 2017, Boeing delivered 763 jets while Airbus delivered 718. All that changed in March 2019. Two fatal crashes involving Boeing’s 737 MAX aircraft ,