United Air hits pause on pilot hiring, citing Boeing Max delays

United Airlines Holdings Inc. is slowing pilot hiring this year and suspending training classes for new aviators after pulling the Boeing Co. Max 10 aircraft from its flight plans for this year. 

“United will slow the pace of pilot hires this year due to continued new aircraft certification and manufacturing delays at Boeing. This includes the pause of new hire classes during the months of May and June,” United executives told pilots in a memo Thursday. It said the airline expects to restart classes in July.

Continued delivery delays and manufacturing missteps at Boeing forced United to take the plane out of its 2024 planning in January. It was to have received 80 Max 10s this year, part of an outstanding order with Boeing for 277 of the planes.  

Boeing had no immediate reply to a request for comment. 

United has added more than 450 pilots this year and is on track to have hired over 800 by the end of April — enough for the busy spring and summer travel seasons, the memo said. The carrier hired 2,350 pilots last year.

The airline has been working with Boeing to convert some of the Max 10 orders to the Max 8 or 9 variant to receive planes sooner, and is in advanced talks to acquire additional Airbus SE A321neo aircraft as soon as next year, Bloomberg News has reported.

Shares of United traded down less than 1% in regular trading to $44.31 as of 1:14 p.m. in New York. Boeing rose 1.2% to $203.43.