- United Airlines CEO expresses concerns about Boeing’s handling of recent incidents involving their aircraft, adding to pressure faced by Boeing’s leadership.
- The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 planes for inspections after an incident with Alaska Airlines. Loose bolts related to a door plug issue were found in United’s planes, resulting in over 200 flights being canceled.
- Kirby’s concerns come as United expects a first-quarter adjusted loss due to the grounding of their Boeing 737 Max 9 planes. FAA expands investigation into Boeing’s planes and orders inspections on the 737-900ER, which several airlines have in their fleet.
Additional Coverage:
- United Airlines’ CEO is quietly complaining about Boeing after being forced to ground dozens of planes, report says (businessinsider.com)
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has reportedly expressed concerns about Boeing’s handling of the fallout from the recent incidents involving their aircraft. This comes after dozens of United’s Boeing 737 Max 9 planes were grounded due to loose bolts, following an incident where a door plug blew off an Alaska Airlines aircraft mid-flight. Bloomberg reported that Kirby has doubts about Boeing’s ability to recover from these incidents, adding to the pressure already faced by Boeing’s leadership.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft for inspections after the Alaska Airlines incident on January 5. United conducted inspections on their planes and discovered loose bolts related to the door plug issue. Over 200 United flights were canceled as a result, and the company is now working on preparing the Max 9 planes to return to service.
Kirby’s concerns about Boeing and their handling of the incidents add to the challenges faced by the company. United, being one of Boeing’s major customers, has had dozens of planes grounded for several weeks. United recently announced that they expect a first-quarter adjusted loss of 35 to 85 cents per share due to the grounding of their Boeing 737 Max 9 planes.
When contacted by Business Insider, both United and Boeing declined to comment on the situation. However, the FAA has expanded its investigation into Boeing’s planes and has ordered inspections on another Boeing aircraft, the 737-900ER, which shares the same door plug design. United, Alaska, and Delta Airlines all have the 737-900ER in their fleet.
While no serious injuries occurred during the Alaska incident, federal officials noted that it was fortunate that no one was seated in the two seats affected by the issue. Kirby’s frustrations with Boeing’s response mirror the growing scrutiny on the company’s leadership.