Boeing 737-8.
LCC flydubai has expressed “extreme disappointment” at the latest delays in aircraft deliveries from Boeing, saying that the lack of new aircraft has “significantly impacted” its expansion plans.
Boeing was scheduled to deliver 14 737 MAXs to the Dubai-based carrier this year. The company said July 22 that it had learned from the latest update from the OEM that it would receive no new aircraft for the remainder of this year.
The airline’s news came a day after Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) CEO Stephanie Pope told a pre-Farnborough Airshow briefing that production of the 737, which has dropped to around 20 aircraft per month, was recovering steadily and should be up to 38 by the end of this year. FAA has put a production cap of 38 on the 737 line as part of its stepped-up oversight of BCA.
Flydubai is now re-evaluating its route development plans and potential frequency revisions across its network.
“We are extremely disappointed to learn that Boeing will not be able to fulfil its commitment to deliver more aircraft for the remainder of the year,” flydubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith said. “Boeing’s short-noticed and frequent delivery schedule revisions have hindered our strategic growth plans, resulting in significant disruptions to our published schedules. The reduced capacity will ultimately affect our customers as well as our projected financial performance.”
Aircraft delivered in the first half of the year were from the backlog of previous years and faced extensive delays, the company added.
“Flydubai has always valued its longstanding partnership with Boeing and both airline and the manufacturer have been resilient and agile in tackling challenges over the years. We urge Boeing to take immediate action and implement measures to stabilize its production and delivery processes to avoid further delays while upholding the highest standards. We look forward to a swift resolution of this issue,” flydubai said.
Flydubai operates a single-type fleet of 88 Boeing 737s, including 29 737-800s, 56 737 MAX-8s and three 737 MAX-9s. The airline has more than 125 737 MAXs on order for delivery over the next decade. In November 2023, it placed an order for 30 787s, its first widebody commitment.
To mitigate the delays in aircraft deliveries and to meet the surge in demand for travel, flydubai set up aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance (ACMI) agreements.
The carrier has also extended the lease on some of the aircraft that were scheduled to be returned to the lessors under sale and leaseback agreements, leading to further costs.
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