Restless in Seattle: Are airlines in India concerned over the Boeing workers’ strike?

The strike implicit wage revision, which has present entered its 3rd week without a solution successful sight, has brought to a grinding halt the accumulation of Boeing’s best-selling 737 narrow-body aircraft, which presently person astir 5,000 outstanding orders. Boeing’s craft transportation schedules, which were already delayed owed to different problems, could beryllium deed further successful the lawsuit of a protracted strike.

So, however disquieted are Akasa Air and Air India Express, which person 300-plus Boeing 737 MAX craft connected bid betwixt them?

According to sources successful the 2 airlines and manufacture watchers, the onslaught is improbable to interaction the carriers’ planned operations successful the immediate-to-near word arsenic they are assured of craft deliveries till the extremity of this year, and their web and capableness enlargement plans successful the abbreviated word are already tuned to that schedule. The cardinal interest is the interaction that a perchance long-drawn-out onslaught could person connected craft deliveries implicit the consequent months and adjacent the adjacent mates of years. But immoderate clarity connected that beforehand is contingent upon the solution of the strike.

Boeing 737 Max aircrafts are seen down fences arsenic Boeing employees enactment the picket enactment portion striking. (AP Photo)

Additional delays could straight hinder the airlines’ capableness and web enlargement plans implicit the mean term, sources indicated. Then determination could beryllium further headaches similar inability to get and clasp further slots astatine airports owed to dilatory capableness addition, being forced to widen leases connected older and little businesslike craft (in Air India Express’s case) that were to beryllium replaced by the caller jets, and trouble successful retaining pilots who are connected the seat and not released for flying owed to craft transportation delays—more applicable for Akasa Air.

The airlines are successful regular interaction with Boeing but with nary existent advancement successful negotiations with the workers’ union, the craft shaper has not fixed the carriers immoderate guidance connected the agitation’s apt interaction connected transportation timelines, it is learnt.

“We cognize our concern challenges origin disruption for our customers and we profoundly regret the interaction connected them. We proceed to supply method enactment and enactment successful adjacent interaction with our customers during this time,” Boeing said successful effect to The Indian Express’s queries. Air India Express and Akasa Air did not respond to requests for comments.

“The onslaught astatine Boeing is not of contiguous interest for america arsenic we are already up of our projected timelines successful presumption of capableness and web plans. Of course, from a longer-term perspective, it could go a occupation if the onslaught is not resolved wrong a tenable timeframe and accumulation and deliveries get delayed significantly…We volition person to spot however this unfolds,” said a root astatine Air India Express, who did not privation to beryllium identified.

The Air India radical had ordered a full of 190 737 MAX planes successful 2023, and astir of these are going to its budget hose Air India Express. The hose has already received 35 aircraft, with different 15 expected by the extremity of the year. But specified punctual deliveries person been imaginable due to the fact that 50 of the 190 craft ordered were “white-tails” oregon remarketed planes, which were manufactured for different airlines but remained unsold arsenic the archetypal orders were cancelled. Often, airlines are speedy to bargain specified craft arsenic they are readily disposable disconnected the support with the manufacturer, portion planes manufactured based connected their orders tin instrumentality years to beryllium delivered.

The remaining 140 made-to-order 737 MAX craft for Air India Express were expected to commencement coming successful sometime adjacent year. Air India Express and AIX Connect (formerly AirAsia India), which is successful the process of being merged into the former, presently person a combined fleet of 86 aircraft, implicit 50 of which are older Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s. By 2028, the merged Air India Express aims to person a fleet of 180 aircraft.

“We are not disquieted currently. Considering the problems Boeing has faced successful caller years, they person inactive been bully partners to us. For now, we are alright but however this plays retired implicit clip is thing that we would beryllium looking at…our patience volition beryllium connected however circumstances evolve,” an Akasa Air authoritative said, speaking connected the information of anonymity.

Akasa Air, which ordered a full of 226 Boeing 737 MAX craft done 2 abstracted orders, has received 25 planes and is assured of 2 much deliveries this year. The fledgling airline, too, saw swift deliveries initially arsenic 24 of its craft were white-tails. The airline’s 25th aircraft, which it received earlier this month, is its archetypal level that was manufactured for it. The transportation of this craft was delayed by astir six months arsenic accumulation astatine Boeing was already affected owed to assorted reasons, including accrued oversight, prime checks, and audits by the US aviation regulator pursuing a mid-air doorway plug blowout connected a 737 MAX pitchy successful January.