The serious crisis at Airbus competitor Boeing is disrupting the global flight schedule. Many airlines have cut their summer flight schedules. Some companies are even stopping flight crew recruitment as a result.
In Europe, Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair cut its summer schedule at airports including Dublin, Milan, Warsaw and several locations in Portugal in early March. Since then, the problems at Boeing have worsened. A spokeswoman declined to comment on whether even more flights would now have to be cancelled.
In the US, Southwest Airlines has reduced its routes due to a lack of aircraft and does not intend to hire any new crew members at this time. And Lufthansa’s partner United Airlines suddenly has too many pilots due to a lack of aircraft and is offering unpaid leave.
Lufthansa CEO: Too many crews for the wrong aircraft
Lufthansa has too many “crews for the wrong aircraft,” group CEO Carsten Spohr said recently. In anticipation of the new Boeing 787 (Dreamliner) long-haul aircraft, the Group had licensed pilots and cabin crew for the aircraft. However, the company has received only a few of them.
Newly released delivery figures from Airbus and Boeing for the first three months of the year show the whole dilemma.
Airbus delivered 142 aircraft to customers from early January to late March. Boeing delivered only 83 aircraft. In March, only 29 aircraft left the factory halls.
In their recent study, the analysts of the rating agency Morningstar DBRS describe a gloomy scenario for global aviation. Delivery problems “could persist for several years.” The consequences: reduction of capacity, disruptions in flight operations and loss of climate goals.
The bad news for passengers is that according to Morningstar DBRS, congestion could mean already expensive airline tickets will soon cost a bit more.
Airbus cannot fill the gap
Boeing’s rival, Airbus, can’t fill the void. The European aircraft manufacturer’s production has been sold for the next ten years – at least. Airbus is also struggling with supply chain issues. In addition, many of the popular short- and medium-haul aircraft in the A320 family have to be inspected and repaired for months because faulty material has been installed in the engine.
The industry really wants to turn to post-pandemic growth. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) expects capacity to increase by around 9% this year. However, this is assuming the jets arrive as scheduled.
The pressure on the commercial aircraft market is correspondingly high. Boeing, in particular, must finally perform reliably again. The problem is that experts agree that precisely this time pressure is largely responsible for the fact that the American company has fallen so far.
“Boeing’s main problem is motivating management,” says Gerald Wissel of aviation consultancy Airborne Consulting. The focus is on economics and therefore maximizing delivery numbers. “This creates enormous time pressure to complete the aircraft, which has been passed down.”
Vissel mentions one example: the so-called double checks. In aircraft manufacturing, every work step must be checked and approved twice. “From various discussions, I have the impression that not all double checks are carried out as planned due to the great time pressure,” says the expert.
Boeing’s management is now facing accusations aimed at proving how much time pressure is on the factories. Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour has pointed out alleged defects in the assembly of the individual parts of the Dreamliner’s fuselage.
The sections are made of CFRP, a modern composite material. Dimensional tolerances cannot be completely ruled out during production. Possible gaps should be filled with supports so that the transitions between sections do not wear out too quickly due to movement.
Few things have improved at Boeing
According to Salepour, however, this was often not done because accurate measurement took too long. Instead, the elements were compressed together with great force. Boeing disputes this statement. The allegations are well known and have already been investigated by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Flight safety was not affected.
But aviation consultant Wissel warns, “In my opinion, the FAA is not taking enough action.” It’s not just a lack of staff. “It also seems that there is too much confidence in the promise that Boeing will be 100% compliant with the regulations, but that promise is not followed up enough,” says Wissel: “This gives me the impression that the American company should not exercise too much pressure due to strong competition in Europe”.
After two disastrous crashes of two 737 Max in 2018 and 2019, in which 346 people died, the close proximity between Boeing and regulators is an issue. The US Civil Aviation Administration (FAA) had left part of the certification formalities for the Max to the manufacturer itself due to staff shortages.
Boeing had withheld details of the new control software, which accident investigators blamed for the crashes. Several years have passed since then, but apparently little has changed. Scott Hamilton (Scott Hamilton) of the well-known aviation news service Leeham News was quoted in an article in “The Seattle Times” in early April. That was according to a panel of experts who interviewed numerous Boeing employees last year. Hamilton writes that he could hardly believe what he read there.
The experts are said to have asked only a few questions. Boeing workers also said management had provided them with a briefing from in-house lawyers before the inquiry. “From what I’m hearing in the industry, there’s still a climate of fear at Boeing, a culture of catastrophic mistakes,” says consultant Vissel.
After the most recent incident, in which an entire fuselage panel came off during a flight earlier this year, the FAA feels compelled to take stricter measures. Boeing is currently licensed to build a maximum of 38 aircraft of its A320 competitor, the 737 Max. However, the company is currently unlikely to achieve even that number. According to media reports, fewer than ten Max were completed in March.
