Delay in Boeing 737 Max Deliveries... US Airlines Halt Hiring and Revise Operations

CEOs of major U.S. airlines announced that they are revising their business plans and lowering growth forecasts this year due to delays in the delivery of Boeing 737 Max passenger aircraft.

According to CNBC on the 12th (local time), Southwest Airlines stated that it is reassessing its transportation and financial outlook for this year. This is because the originally planned delivery of 79 Boeing 737 Max aircraft has been reduced to 46.

Southwest Airlines passenger plane Photo by AP Yonhap News

Bob Jordan, CEO of Southwest Airlines, pointed out at the JP Morgan Aviation Industry Conference that day, "Boeing needs to become a better company, and only then will aircraft deliveries follow."

Alaska Airlines said that uncertainty has arisen regarding the timing of aircraft deliveries due to investigations by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Department of Justice into Boeing. As a result, the 2024 transportation capacity estimates are fluid.

Scott Kirby, CEO of United Airlines, revealed that he requested Boeing to halt production of the 737 Max 10, which has not yet received FAA certification, and to produce more of the already operating Max 9 model. CEO Kirby had previously stated in January that United would plan aircraft deployments excluding the Max 10 model. Additionally, United notified employees that pilot hiring would be suspended this spring due to delays in Boeing aircraft deliveries.

On January 5th, an incident occurred on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 passenger aircraft where the door plug (emergency exit cover) was torn off from the side of the fuselage shortly after takeoff. The FAA inspected the production process of Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems, the manufacturer of the Boeing 737 Max fuselage.

Meanwhile, production disruptions and order cancellations caused by Boeing aircraft accidents have widened the gap between the two major manufacturers, Boeing and Airbus.

According to CNBC, last month the number of deliveries was 27 for Boeing and 49 for Airbus. Looking at January and February of this year, Boeing delivered 54 aircraft, while Airbus delivered 79.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.