Boeing is open to dropping the "Max" branding for its latest 737 jetliner, depending on an assessment of consumer and airline responses to an aircraft name that's been tarnished by two fatal crashes and a three-month grounding.

Almost 500 737 jets have been parked, including about 100 newly built planes that can't be delivered until the grounding is lifted. Credit:Bloomberg

"I'd say we're being open-minded to all the input we get," Chief Financial Officer Greg Smith said Monday in an interview on the sidelines of the Paris Air Show. "We're committed to doing what we need to do to restore it. If that means changing the brand to restore it, then we'll address that. If it doesn't, we'll address whatever is a high priority."

For now, executives insist they have no immediate plans to drop the Max name for something less associated with tragedy, such as the product numbers that marked earlier generations of the company's best-selling aircraft. A name change would be a retreat for the planemaker, which has worked hard to capture the imagination of travellers with monikers such as Max and Dreamliner, as the 787 is called.

"Our immediate focus is the safe return of the Max to service and re-earning the trust of airlines and the traveling public," Boeing said in a statement after the interview with Smith. "We remain open-minded to all input from customers and other stakeholders, but have no plans at this time to change the name of the 737 Max."