By United Airlines Holdings Inc. grapples with operational hurdles amid delays in Boeing Company’s aircraft deliveries, disrupting its schedules and necessitating unpaid leave for pilots next month. Anticipated reductions in Boeing deliveries exacerbate United Airlines’ operational limitations, following safety incidents involving its aircraft, leading to increased regulatory scrutiny.
Originally expecting 191 and 127 plane deliveries this year and next, she now faces downscaled forecasts of 88 and 64 deliveries, respectively. The Air Line Pilots Association discloses United Airlines’ call for unpaid leave among pilots, stretching potentially into the summer, to accommodate reduced block hours due to delayed Boeing deliveries.
Boeing’s production challenges impact United Airlines’ expansion plans, significantly reducing forecasted block hours for 2024. United Airlines adapts its operations, offering pilots the option of “Empty Line” schedules, enabling them to request empty schedules for a month and pick up flights as availability allows.
Delayed Boeing deliveries, particularly of the 737 Max series, prompt United Airlines to reassess orders and explore alternatives, notably the uncertified Max 10 variant. Enhanced scrutiny of Boeing, spurred by recent incidents involving 737 MAX aircraft, compounds delays in FAA certification, as evidenced by a January incident involving an Alaska Airlines MAX 9 aircraft’s fuselage door plug detachment, presenting shared challenges for Boeing and affected airlines like United Airlines.
