Boeing deliveries to Indian carriers may average 2 a month in 2024, 2025

“Worse than the delays is the unpredictability of the delivery schedules. The delays are going to be prevalent for a while. What we are trying to fix is that airlines can count on when we give them a date, they receive the aircraft (on that date). That’s really the singular focus,” Weir said.

On being asked if Boeing has received compensation claims from Indian airlines in view of the delays in aircraft deliveries, Weir answered in the affirmative, but did not give details.

“Those conversations are private, but yes (there are claims), just like we have everywhere in the world, and we are working through it methodically and consistently across the industry,” he said.

On the impact of the production slowdown on delivery timelines, Boeing officials did not provide an estimate of the delay, saying that they are being transparent with their customer airlines.

“We are in constant conversations with our customers about what aircraft they are going to receive when. And that is a conversation that the customers will take forward publicly as opposed to us,” said Boeing India President Salil Gupte.

Late November, Air India’s Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Campbell Wilson had said that some deliveries of already-manufactured Boieng 737 MAX jets that were earlier scheduled by December 2024 were likely to stretch up to June of 2025. As for line-fit aircraft — planes to be built specifically for Air India — the airline was not sure about the length of the delay.

As part of its mega aircraft order placed in 2023 with Airbus and Boeing, the Air India group had ordered 220 Boeing planes — 190 narrow-body 737 MAX planes, 20 wide-body 787 planes, and 10 wide-body 777X aircraft. Of the 190 737 MAX planes, 50 were white-tails — aircraft made for other airlines but transferred to the Air India group due to cancellation of the original order — and the other 140 were to be line-fit planes.

So far, 37 of the 50 white-tails have been delivered to the group’s low-cost airline Air India Express, with the remaining planes delayed. As for Akasa Air, which placed orders for a total of 226 Boeing aircraft, 27 planes have been delivered so far.

Timely delivery of aircraft is a critical component of airlines’ fleet and network expansion strategies, and slower-than-expected aircraft deliveries could slow down their growth plans.