Aerial photo showing a Boeing 737 Max aircraft parked on the tarmac at the Boeing factory in Renton, Washington, on March 21, 2019.
Lindsay Wasson | Reuters
boeingThe airline’s latest Max crisis is forcing some of its biggest customers to rethink their growth plans for this year and perhaps beyond, multiple airline CEOs said Tuesday.
Their comments reflect how Boeing’s top buyers are dealing with the effects of snowballing quality control problems, slow production increases, and certification of new planes years behind schedule. It highlights how you feel.
southwest airlinesThe airline, which operates only Boeing 737 aircraft, has revised down its 2024 capacity forecast, cited lower Boeing deliveries this year than previously expected, and reevaluated its 2024 financial outlook. The number of Boeing 737 Max aircraft delivered has decreased from 79 to 46.
“Boeing needs to become a better company, and deliveries will follow.” southwest airlines CEO Bob Jordan said this at a JPMorgan industry conference on Tuesday.
Alaska Airlines said Tuesday that its 2024 capacity estimates are “in flux due to uncertainty around aircraft delivery timing as a result of increased Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Justice oversight of Boeing and its operations.” Stated.
united airlines CEO Scott Kirby said at Tuesday’s JPMorgan conference that the airline told Boeing to stop producing Max 10 planes that have not yet been FAA certified, and to stop building Max 9 planes that are already in the air. He said he has requested that more machines be produced.
“We don’t know when Max 10 will be certified,” Kirby said. Kirby said in January that the company would plan its fleet without the Max 10, citing delays.
United Airlines on Friday told employees it would have to pause pilot hiring this spring due to delays in the arrival of new Boeing planes, CNBC reported.
Frustration among airline executives has grown in recent months since Boeing Co.’s latest crisis stemmed from a door panel that was blown off a Max 9 plane mid-air during a plane crash. alaska airlines Flights in January. Boeing has come under increased scrutiny in the wake of the crash, with a preliminary investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board saying the bolts in the door panels appeared not to have been installed when the plane departed from the company’s factory in Washington state. Ta.
“We are committed to implementing changes to enhance the quality of our entire production system and taking the time necessary to deliver high-quality aircraft that meet all regulatory requirements,” Boeing said in an emailed statement. I’m doing my best,” he said. “We remain in close contact with our valued customers about these issues and the actions we are taking to address them.”
The FAA suspended Boeing’s planned production increases and said a recent audit “identified violations in Boeing’s manufacturing process controls, parts handling and storage, and product controls.”
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun and other leaders have vowed to root out quality-control problems and have repeatedly stopped work to discuss the issues with employees.
On Tuesday, Boeing Commercial Airplanes Chief Executive Officer Stan Diehl told employees that the company is working with employees found to have nonconformance issues during audits to ensure that workers are He said he will work to ensure that he fully understands and implements the instructions and procedures. Conduct weekly compliance checks and plan more audits this month.
In a memo to employees, Diehl said employees must “accurately follow every step of our manufacturing procedures and processes” and “stay alert for potential safety hazards.” He said employees were “fully empowered to report through their supervisors.” With our Speak Up portal, we address the risk immediately without passing it on to the next person or role. ”
