Airline chief executives are becoming more vocal about the ongoing situation surrounding Boeing and the impact it is having on their businesses.
The embattled airframe manufacturer has been the focus of severe scrutiny due to numerous delays and serious malfunctions, most notoriously a door plug failing mid-flight. This, alongside other malfunctions, has led to heavier scrutiny and safety checks on Boeing planes, leading to delays on new deliveries.
DAE CEO Firoz Tarapore said in an earnings call earlier this month (reported here: https://www.aviationnews-online.com/finance/dae-reports-340-million-revenue-in-first-quarter/) that Boeing delivered “only one aircraft” in the first quarter and expects to receive an additional four this quarter - however he isn't hopeful.
“We will see if all of that comes to pass because it is already a month into the quarter… and what they are now telling us [Boeing] will do for this year is markedly lower than what we had signed up for to receive in 2024, which is of course a disappointment.”
He added: “The only thing we can reliably expect from Boeing these days is a delivery delay notification as opposed to aircraft. So, we hope that they get their act together. And I’m sure they hope that as well.”
Maurice J. Gallagher Jr, Chairman and CEO of Allegiant Travel Company, said in a recent letter to shareholders that ""Boeing missed the opportunity to build a new generation narrowbody aircraft.""
""Airbus upped the game in 2012 when they introduced an upgraded offering with new generation engines – the A320NEO. Boeing was forced to react and has been playing catch up since.
""The MAX had a flaw, a manageable one with qualified pilots and capable operators. Boeing could not have handled this crisis any worse and as a result have become easy prey.
""They need to regain their manufacturing prowess. The lesson at hand is that quality matters in the highly regulated world Boeing lives in. Having said that, we have gotten to know their senior management and are impressed by their commitment and focus.""
In a recent interview, Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr spoke candidly when asked by Switzerland's Neue Zuercher Zeitung how badly recent issues at Boeing and subsequent delivery delays were affecting his company.
""This is extremely annoying and costs us a great deal of money,"" Spohr said in the interview published at the weekend.
""However, I am sure Boeing will get the problems under control. Everyone has an interest in Boeing being able to build great aircraft more reliably again soon,"" he added.
Not everyone in piling on though - in an interview given to Forbes over the weekend, Einar Örn Ólafsson, the new CEO of Iceland’s PLAY Airlines, spoke of the Boeing delays, noting that “For the next five or ten years, I think there is a capacity issue,”, but that “It may not be all bad for the airlines themselves because we'll probably want a ridiculous oversupply of seats.”
“I don't know when Boeing is going to be manufacturing the amount of aircraft that they want. I mean, Airbus is even behind.”