United Airlines is encouraging its pilots to voluntarily participate in unpaid leave programs for the month of May due to ongoing delays in aircraft deliveries from Boeing.
“We can confirm that due to the recent delays in Boeing deliveries, our forecasted block hours for 2024 have been reduced and we are offering our pilots voluntary programs for the month of May to reduce excess staffing,” United said in a statement.
Boeing’s recent challenges, which have had cascading effects across multiple airlines, can be traced back to an incident earlier this year involving a 737 Max 9 aircraft’s door plug blowing off mid-flight. A subsequent audit by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) uncovered dozens of issues with the company’s production of 737 Max aircraft.
United Airlines’ move to request its pilots take unpaid time off due to Boeing’s production delays is the latest instance in a growing list of bad press for the company. In March, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said he avoids flying on Boeing aircraft due to safety concerns.“I now prefer flying in Airbus over Boeing – my family too, they care about me,” Le Maire remarked.
Le Maire’s comments came only days after it was revealed that deceased Boeing whistleblower John Barnett, whose death was ruled a suicide, told a friend that “if anything happens to me, it’s not suicide.”
