United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby is trying to assure customers that he is monitoring closely after five separate clustered incidents involving Boeing planes have left customers rattled.
Over the past month, Boeing planes operated by United have lost a tire, run off the runway, spilled hydraulic fluid midflight, and spouted flames from the engine. Most recently, a Boeing plane was discovered upon landing to be missing an “external panel.”Unfortunately, in the past few weeks, our airline has experienced a number of incidents that are reminders of the importance of safety,” Kirby said in the statement. “While they are all unrelated, I want you to know that these incidents have our attention and have sharpened our focus.”In the Monday statement, Kirby said the company is reviewing each of the incidents and highlighted already planned measures such as adding an extra day of in-person training for all pilots starting in May and dedicating more resources to “supplier network management.”
Some aviation experts have said the airline incidents such as those affecting United’s Boeing planes are more common than consumers might think and that United may share some of the blame with Boeing, the manufacturer. Still, there is heightened attention now around all things Boeing. United did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the incidents.In January a door plug flew off a Boeing 737-9 MAX mid-flight, leading to heightened scrutiny of Boeing by regulators and a large-scale grounding by the FAA that drastically affected United, one of its biggest customers.
United warned that it would report a larger-than-expected loss due to the grounding, and Kirby made it clear in a January interview with CNBC that he was “disappointed” in Boeing.
“We need Boeing to succeed. But they’ve been having these consistent manufacturing challenges,” he said. “They need to take action here.”