A top United Airlines executive said the carrier was “deeply disappointed” with Boeing over delays in the delivery of its new Max 10 aircraft in the wake of last month’s midair blowout of a door panel during an Alaska Airlines flight.
Mike Leskinen, the chief financial officer of United, told attendees of an industrial conference on Tuesday that the delays have thrown a monkey wrench into the Chicago-based company’s growth projections.
The Federal Aviation Administration has delayed certification of the Max 10 — the largest model in Boeing’s family of 737 Max jets — in the wake of the Jan. 5 incident aboard the Alaska Airlines flight.
United was counting on an upgraded fleet that would include 277 Max 10 jets.
The company also has an option to purchase another 200.
The CFO said that the delays have raised questions about the carrier’s ability to grow domestic capacity by almost 30% by 2026 under its “United Next” plan.
At Citi’s industrial conference, Leskinen said the airline would not be able to grow as fast without the Max 10 fleet.
“What you’re going to see now is much more Max 9 and [Airbus] A321 aircraft,” he said.
“The mix of which I don’t know yet. It depends on the prices.”
While United has not canceled the order, the airline has removed them from its internal plans.
Last month, United CEO Scott Kirby warned Boeing that the company could shift its plans due to the grounding of the Max 9s.
“The Max 9 grounding is probably the straw that broke the camel’s back for us,” Kirby told CNBC last month.
“We’re gonna build an alternative plan that just doesn’t have the Max 10 in it.”
United approached Boeing’s rival Airbus, the French-based aircraft manufacturer, about purchasing more A321neo planes as possible alternatives to Max 10.
The Chicago-based airline has options to mix some additional Airbus product into its “Boeing heavy fleet” and extend the life of some planes that are ready to retire, Leskinen said.
The Post has sought comment from United, Boeing and Airbus.
The pilots of a Boeing Max 9, flying Oregon to California, were forced to make an emergency landing when an exit door was blown off the fuselage in midair.
Preliminary investigations found that missing bolts may have been the cause of the mishap, which prompted federal regulators to ground the Max 9 and hold up certification of the newer Max 10 models.
The Washington state-based aerospace giant has seen its stock price slide by around 20% since the near-disaster.
Separately, a passenger who boarded a cross-country United flight captured video on Monday showing what appeared to be one of the wings coming apart on another Boeing-made plane.
Kevin Clarke was among the 165 passengers aboard the Boeing 757-200 flight from San Francisco to Boston when the right wing appeared to start shredding.
With Post wires
