Airlines learn patience in constrained Airbus-Boeing duopoly

FE Team | Published: February 05, 2024 00:02:25

NEW YORK, Feb 4 (AFP): With the latest Boeing crisis, airlines are staring down more delays, a familiar problem in a market in which both the US giant and rival Airbus face supply chain constraints.
Over the past year Boeing has struggled with difficulties on its star plane, the 737 MAX, culminating with a major in-flight safety incident on Alaska Airlines in early January.
Boeing had been eyeing a ramp-up of MAX production through 2025, but that plan has now been frozen by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The FAA's move likely will further slow Boeing's delivery timetable, which was already behind schedule.
While the manufacturer's European rival Airbus has avoided comparable safety troubles, it also faces a major headache due to a problem with engines built by Pratt & Whitney, a unit of RTX.
Hundreds of Airbus 320neo jets must be inspected between 2023 and 2026 to check for microscopic "contamination" of metals used to make the engines.
The inspections and any necessary engine fixes require 250 to 300 days per aircraft, another hurdle for airlines eager to take advantage of strong travel demand.
Some of Boeing's customers have seemed to open the door to potentially moving orders elsewhere.
Alaska Airlines, which until now has been exclusively supplied by Boeing, had been considering orders of the Boeing 737 MAX 10 prior to the January 5 incident.
But Alaska Chief Executive Officer Ben Minicucci suggested a possible shift given its pending acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines, which is supplied by Airbus.
"Everything is open at this point," Minicucci said in a recent broadcast interview. "We are going to do what is best for Alaska."
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom last month said Boeing "needs to get their act together," while noting the carrier has large fleets of Airbus and Boeing planes.
Asked if he would consider Boeing for an upcoming order, Isom said, "we're going to make sure that whatever is purchased, whether it be from Airbus, Boeing, Embraer... is incredibly reliable, safe right from the get-go off the factory floor."
- Long wait -
But changing plane suppliers is not so straightforward.