United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby says he is optimistic about Boeing’s recovery after meeting with the manufacturer’s new chief executive.
It’s an upbeat change of tune from the head of United, a top Boeing customer that has been among the most publicly frustrated about the plane maker’s problems, which have led to delayed deliveries of dozens of aircraft.
Kirby and Boeing’s new CEO, Robert “Kelly” Ortberg, had lunch earlier this week in the Dallas area. Kirby said in a LinkedIn post on Thursday that he “was not only encouraged by what I heard, but I also came away with a renewed confidence that Boeing is on the right path and will recover faster than most expect.”
United has 484 unfilled orders with Boeing, according to the manufacturer’s website.
Ortberg also met with American Airlines CEO Robert Isom earlier this week, according to a person familiar with the matter who wasn’t authorized to speak with the media.
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Ortberg, who previously ran commercial and defense supplier Rockwell Collins and has more than three decades of experience in the aerospace industry, took the reins at Boeing a week ago, spending part of his first day at Boeing’s 737 factory floor in Renton, Washington. Ortberg will be based in Seattle, a shift from previous leaders.
“His engineering background at Rockwell Collins, combined with an instinct to be close to his frontline teams in Seattle, makes for a winning combination,” Kirby wrote on Thursday. “It was clear from our discussion that he’s 100% engaged, understands the cultural changes needed to turn things around and is committed to listening to his employees and customers.”
United and other major customers such as Southwest Airlines have been grappling with delayed jetliners as Boeing tries to recover from its latest safety crisis in the wake of a door plug blowout on an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 earlier this year.
No one was seriously injured in the accident — which occurred after bolts that hold the door plug in place weren’t installed before the airline received the plane — but it came after a host of other manufacturing defects on Boeing planes.
“In speaking with our customers and industry partners leading up to today, I can tell you that without exception, everyone wants us to succeed,” Ortberg said in a note to staff on his first day last Thursday. “In many cases, they NEED us to succeed.”
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