Dubai’s flydubai says expansion plans hindered by Boeing delays

Budget carrier flydubai’s fleet expansion plans have been hit by delays to Boeing’s aircraft delivery schedule, the Dubai airline said on Monday.

flydubai, the sister low-cost airline of flagship carrier Emirates, said it was “evaluating its route development plans and potential frequency revision across the network due to a lack of new aircraft deliveries over the next few months”.

Demand for air travel has rebounded since the pandemic, but planemakers are struggling to boost production levels due to disrupted supply chains and a safety crisis at Boeing.

flydubai said Boeing’s delivery delays in recent years had placed substantial pressure on the airline and its ability to plan for its projected growth in the wake of strong post-pandemic travel demand.

The carrier said that due to revisions to the 2024 delivery schedule, Boeing was not expected to hand over the 14 737 MAX aircraft originally scheduled for the year.

flydubai, which has more than 125 737 MAX jets on order to be delivered over the next decade, urged the US manufacturer to “honour and renew its commitment” to meet its delivery obligations.

It also said it was exploring options to reduce the impact of the delays, adding it had entered aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance (ACMI) deals, without elaborating.

When asked about flydubai’s comments, Darren Hulst, Boeing’s vice president of commercial marketing, acknowledged that many airlines had been waiting for planes but said it was important to take the time to ensure the company was consistently building quality planes.

“There’s no doubt we have disappointed our customers, and we have disappointed them, you know, over and over again, in many cases,” Hulst said. “We need to create that stability so that we can provide not just a quality airplane, but a quality airplane when we when we tell our customers that it’s going to be delivered.”

The carrier also flagged it had incurred additional costs as it had to extend the lease on some aircraft it was planning to return under sale and leaseback agreements.

flydubai says it is the largest operator of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in the Middle East and GCC region.

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