Two U.S. airlines have said they may abandon plans to buy more Boeing 737 MAX planes, a flashing red warning light for the aviation giant as it tries to quell its latest safety crisis.
The CEOs of United Airlines and Alaska Airlines both said Tuesday that they can’t necessarily count on the plane-maker for future orders, less than three weeks after a door panel blew off mid-air during an Alaska flight over Portland, Oregon.
Neither airline is canceling any orders yet, though United said it’s mulling removing another 737 model — the larger MAX 10 — from its fleet plans.
And Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci is set to say in an NBC News interview being aired Tuesday night that he is “angry” with Boeing and has had “very tough, candid conversations” with the company’s leadership.
The Jan. 5 door blowout “happened to Alaska Airlines. It happened to our guests and happened to our people,” Minicucci will say, according to information provided by NBC. “And my demand on Boeing is what are they going to do to improve their quality programs in-house.”
When asked for comment, Boeing pointed to a statement it had given NBC in which it said it is “deeply sorry” for the significant disruptions caused by the accident and the subsequent nationwide groundings of the MAX 9.
“We are taking action on a comprehensive plan to bring these airplanes safely back to service and to improve our quality and delivery performance,” Boeing said. “We will follow the lead of the [Federal Aviation Administration] and support our customers every step of the way.”
Boeing has also named a special adviser to lead a comprehensive quality review of its commercial airplanes.
But Minicucci said Alaska Airlines will increase its own oversight of the Boeing planes in its inventory. Alaska and United are the only U.S. airlines that operate the MAX 9. Though those two U.S. airlines have a significant number of the planes in their fleet at 171 combined, the 9 is not one of Boeing’s more widely-adopted 737 MAX varieties.
During the interview, Minicucci also will say that his airline is evaluating the “best long term strategic plan” for its fleet mix, including whether to incorporate the larger MAX 10. The MAX 10, which has been plagued by years of certification delays, is expected to receive the FAA’s green light later this year.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said much the same earlier Tuesday ahead of his company’s earnings call, telling CNBC that the groundings are “probably the straw that broke the camel’s back,” signaling to the carrier it should seek “alternative plans” for its aircraft inventory.
The Chicago-based carrier already has MAX 10s on order. The FAA in November gave Boeing the greenlight to begin flight tests of its 737 MAX 10 jet with FAA pilots on board — but it’s already five years behind schedule, Kirby said.
“It's a great aircraft, but we can't count on it, and so we're working on alternate plans,” United CFO Mike Leskinen added during the earning’s call.
Earlier this month, after the Jan. 5 accident, United found loose bolts within the paneled-over exit doors of some of its Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes. Alaska also found additional loose bolts in other MAX 9s in its fleet upon inspection.
The inspections, required as part of the ongoing FAA grounding, mean the airlines have had to reroute planes for flights, hampering their schedules. The agency has set no timetable for returning the fleet to service, saying it would only be when it is safe to do so.
Kirby on Tuesday said United is working with the FAA to “ensure that the MAX 9 is 100 percent safe before we return to service.”
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By: Oriana Pawlyk
Title: Boeing woes reach a new low as two airlines consider abandoning 737 plans
Sourced From: www.politico.com/news/2024/01/23/boeing-woes-737-abandon-00137349
Published Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2024 18:14:04 EST
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