BRISBANE- Virgin Australia (VA) has officially adjusted its aircraft delivery schedules due to challenges in production at Boeing, a major global manufacturer. This aligns it with other major US carriers like United (UA), Alaska Airlines (AS), and Southwest (WN), all of whom have confirmed delays in their orders.
On Friday, the airline informed its staff that 31 of the Max aircraft it had on order would face delays. This comes after Virgin had previously stated in January that it wouldn’t be impacted by Boeing’s extended production timelines, prompted by an incident where a door plug on an Alaska Airlines 737 Max-9 detached mid-flight.
Virgin Australia 737 Delays
Originally, Virgin had placed orders for a total of 14 737 MAX-8s, with most expected to be delivered by the year’s end and four already in operation. However, due to production delays, the airline now anticipates receiving only four Max-8s this year, with the remaining six postponed until 2025. Virgin initially planned for one Max-8 to arrive each month for the rest of the year.
Additionally, Virgin’s order of 25 Boeing 737 MAX-10s, originally scheduled to begin arriving next year, has been rescheduled to fiscal year 2026.
The delivery setback adds to Virgin’s series of challenges, as the airline has been contending with subpar on-time performance and higher-than-average flight cancellations throughout the year. These issues stem from internal hurdles in the supply chain, such as a shortage of spare aircraft and crew, as well as external factors like air traffic control staffing shortages and adverse weather conditions.
A spokesperson for the airline declined to comment on the status of the MAX-10 order to SMH but confirmed the delay in the delivery of the 737-8 aircraft on Friday. Previously, Virgin had asserted that there would be no alterations to the delivery schedules for either order.
“Boeing has informed us about a delay in the delivery of some 737 MAX-8 aircraft, and we are working to minimize disruptions to our schedule,” stated the Virgin spokesperson.
“We are fully committed to implementing changes aimed at enhancing quality throughout our production process and ensuring that we deliver aircraft of the highest quality that meet all regulatory standards. We are maintaining close communication with our valued customers regarding these issues and the steps we are taking to address them.”
Virgin Australia Spokeperson
Challenges for Boeing
Boeing, a leading aircraft manufacturer globally with assets exceeding $130 billion, faced restrictions on expanding production of its latest narrow-body line, known as the Max line, by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in January following the Alaska Airlines door plug incident.
Subsequently, major global airline giants, with operations far larger than Australia’s second-largest airline, have adjusted their delivery schedules for their impending Max orders, including United and Southwest.
United’s CEO, Scott Kirby, expressed skepticism in January about Boeing’s ability to fulfill any Max-10 deliveries in the foreseeable future.
“Boeing will likely be unable to meet its contractual delivery obligations for many of those aircraft, and that’s all we can say at this point.”
United CEO Kirby informed investors
United had anticipated receiving 500 MAX-10s.
Alaska Airlines also confirmed that its order of 23 Max aircraft scheduled for delivery this year had been delayed. At the same time, Southwest indicated it would revise its delivery timeline to accommodate anticipated delays.
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