Summary
- Boeing and Airbus struggle with supply chain issues, impacting global airlines’ delivery schedules and expansion plans.
- Top airline CEOs express opinions over delays in aircraft deliveries, with some having to adjust fleet plans to meet demand.
- Despite challenges, airlines remain hopeful for resolution and continue to work with manufacturers.
The global supply chain disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has still not stabilized fully. As a result, the two aircraft manufacturing giants—Boeing and Airbus—are struggling to meet delivery schedules, forcing airlines to tweak fleet plans. Boeing, in particular, is impacted even more, given the FAA’s scrutiny of its production practices. This has impacted multiple carriers, and their top bosses have also weighed in on it. Here’s what they’ve said in recent days.
Qatar Airways
As one of the three big Middle Eastern carriers, Qatar Airways operates a diverse fleet of airplanes from Boeing and Airbus. And like many carriers in its position, it has faced delivery issues from both plane makers.
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Initially, airline CEOs had hoped that these problems would gradually subside, but with travel resuming in full swing, a lack of an adequate number of aircraft to meet this demand is testing their patience. Speaking at a forum recently, Badr Mohammed Al Meer, Qatar Airways CEO, commented,
“We are … really trying our best to assist both Boeing and Airbus and try to find solutions for them to make sure they deliver … I know they’re under so much pressure when it comes to the supply chain market … But they need to put more pressure on those suppliers to make sure that airlines stop the bleeding.”
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Air Arabia
Air Arabia has embarked on a fleet expansion plan that would have seen it receive many new Airbus jets towards the end of this year. However, manufacturing delays stemming from supply-chain issues have pushed the date to 2025.
Photo: BearFotos | Shutterstock
Still, to meet existing expansion plans, the airline will take leased planes and expand its fleet size to 90 by the end of this year. CEO Adel Abdullah Ali told Gulf News,
“We have an order book of 120 aeroplanes, and because of the supply chain (issues), it has been shifted to the second half of 2025. However, to grow the business, we have leased airplanes. Last year, we got about 10. This year, we are getting about 8. So, we should be just over 90 airplanes by the end of 2024, which is within our target.”
Ryanair
A Boeing loyalist, Ryanair operates the 737 aircraft, which is under heavy scrutiny these days. With the FAA instructing Boeing to slow down manufacturing until it resolves its issues, carriers like Ryanair will likely face delays in the foreseeable future.
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With a significant rise in earnings, Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary forecasts an 8% traffic growth next year but added that a lot depends on Boeing meeting its delivery schedule. This isn’t the first time the vocal CEO has voiced his opinion on this matter. Earlier in March, he had commented,
“We are very disappointed at these latest Boeing delivery delays, but we continue to work with Boeing to maximise the number of new B737 aircraft we receive by the end of June, which we can confidently release for sale to customers during the S24 peak. We will now work with Boeing to take delayed aircraft deliveries during Aug and Sept 2024 to help Boeing reduce their delivery backlog.”
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Lufthansa
Lufthansa CEO, Carsten Spohr, recently opened up about the issues the airline group is facing, despite having one of its best financial years in 2023. Among those was delivery issues with Boeing, with Spohr commenting,
“This is extremely annoying and costs us a lot, a lot of money. However, I am sure that Boeing will get the problems under control. The industry needs two strong providers. Everyone has an interest in Boeing being able to build great aircraft more reliably again soon.”
Photo: Kevin Hackert | Shutterstock
He still had faith in the planes pushed out by the US manufacturer, adding that every aircraft ordered by Lufthansa is accompanied by its engineers during the production process to ensure that its quality standards are met.
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These recent comments echo the sentiments of top executives of many other airlines, such as Emirates, IndiGo, and United, among others, who have voiced similar opinions and made necessary adjustments in fleet and network growth.
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