Dubai, United Arab Emirates — The head of Dubai’s Emirates airline urged Boeing on Tuesday to “fix” its problems, warning the embattled aircraft-maker he was unhappy with delays to the 777X.
Chairman and chief executive Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, briefing journalists on the sidelines of a trade show in Dubai, said the delayed delivery was putting pressure on Emirates’ existing fleet.
“I’m not happy. I hope that the new management today, that they would put all the effort to fix Boeing,” he said, highlighting the delivery of the 777X.
“I did meet with the management (and) they promised that they would do their best to fix it,” added the Dubai royal.
The US manufacturer is mired in problems including safety concerns after two 737 MAX crashes within five months and another scare involving the aircraft over Alaska in January.
Boeing, currently undergoing a shake-up of its top brass, is also under investigation in the United States over safety inspections of its 787 craft and whether staff falsified records.
Emirates, already the biggest operator of 777 planes, has 205 777X on order, including a major purchase of 55 777-9 and 35 777-8 announced in November.
The 777X are now due to be certified in the first quarter of next year, Sheikh Ahmed said.
The delay has prompted Emirates to refurbish much of its existing fleet to update seating arrangements and cabin finishes.
“We are in communication with Boeing to be able to determine the (delivery) date because all of that puts a lot of pressure on us, on the Emirates fleet and seat capacity,” he said.
Emirates also paid a heavy price during last month’s floods, when record rains in the United Arab Emirates forced Dubai airport to cancel more than 2,000 flights.
“It cost us a lot in the end of the day,” Sheikh Ahmed said, including hotel bookings for 26,000 stranded passengers and problems retrieving checked-in baggage.
