United Airlines suspends pilot recruitment due to Boeing delivery delays | Wilnesh News

United Airlines Pilot hiring will be on hold this spring because boeing company Delivery delays are the latest impact of the plane maker’s problems on one of its largest customers.

Marc Champion, vice president of flight operations, and Kirk Limacher, vice president of flight operations planning and development, told employees in a memo Thursday that the newly hired class will be paused in May and June and may resume in July. CNBC.

“We want to let you know that United Airlines will be slowing its pilot hiring this year due to Boeing’s ongoing certification and manufacturing delays for new aircraft,” they wrote.

Boeing declined to comment.

Boeing has been battling a series of production defects, such as incorrect holes drilled into the fuselage and exploding door jams on nearly new Boeing Max 9s operated by the company. Alaska Airlines on Jan. 5, prompting the aircraft to fly briefly earlier this winter. A preliminary investigation found that bolts appeared to be missing when the plane left the Boeing factory.

United has contracts to take delivery of 43 Boeing 737 Max 8 and 34 Max 9 models this year, but is expected to take delivery of 37 and 19 respectively, according to company documents. The company also has a contract to deliver 80 Max 10s, the largest model in the best-selling Max series, in 2024, but deliveries are not expected this year. The aircraft has yet to be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration and is several years behind schedule.

United CEO Scott Kirby said in January that the airline was developing plans for a Max 10-free fleet.

“As you know, United has hundreds of new aircraft on order, and while we remain committed to being the fastest-growing airline in the industry, we will not grow as fast as we expected due to continued flight delays in 2024. Fast. Boeing,” Champion and Limach said Thursday. “For example, this year alone we have 80 MAX 10s contracted to be delivered – but these aircraft haven’t even been certified yet, and it’s impossible to know when they will arrive.”

Other U.S. airlines have also slowed their pilot growth this year after going on a hiring spree over the past few years and encouraging workers to retire early as demand slumped due to the pandemic.

A shortage of pilots and slow aircraft deliveries from Boeing and Airbus as they face supply chain constraints have contributed to rising ticket prices.

American airlines It hired about 2,000 pilots last year and expects to add about 1,300 pilots this year, Chief Executive Robert Isom said at an investor presentation in New York on Monday.

“It’s slowing down a little bit, but … we have quite a few people retiring,” he said. “We will be recruiting at this level for the foreseeable future.”

Delta Airlines Following hiring of a record 2,400 pilots in 2023, half as many pilots will be recruited this year, and Southwest Airlines The spokesman said that pilot recruitment will be suspended after the training class for new employees this month.Some operators like spirit airlines Pilot hiring was halted entirely to slow growth and reduce costs.