United asks pilots to take days off without pay due to Boeing delivery delays

The airline United Airlines asked its pilots to take unpaid time off next month on a regular basis “voluntary”, alleging a delay in the delivery of aircraft from the manufacturer Boeing, as reported this Monday by CNBC, which had access to the letter that the pilots received from the company.

The company had previously said it would pause pilot hiring this spring because of delays in the delivery of Boeing planes.

The airline was scheduled to receive 43 Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, in addition to 34 Max 9 models this year, but now expects to receive 37 and 19, respectively, the company reported in February.

In addition, United also expected delivery of 80 Max 10s this year and 71 next year, but the latter model has not yet been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration and the airline has removed it from the delivery schedule.

“Although the delivery problems affect our 787 and 737 fleets, it will also have an impact on other fleets,” For its part, the Air Line Pilots Association, the pilots’ union, indicated in a note sent to its members last Friday and also collected by CNBC.

The company’s request comes as Boeing is experiencing production problems and a notable safety crisis, particularly since a panel covering the space for an emergency door on a 737 Max-9 on a plane operated by Boeing detached in mid-flight in January. by Alaska Airlines.

Last week, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun announced he will step down from his position at the end of this year, also citing the January incident.

The crisis at Boeing, the second largest commercial aircraft manufacturer in the world after the European Airbus, began five years ago when two 737 Max-8 crashed in similar accidents in October 2018 and March 2019, causing the death of 346 people. .

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