United Air shifts to smaller Boeing planes amid production woes

United Airlines Holdings Inc. is taking delivery of six Boeing Co. 737 Max 9 jets per month as it revamps its fleet plans to account for the manufacturer’s much-delayed larger model, the carrier’s chief executive officer said Monday.

Speaking on the sidelines of the IATA conference in Dubai, United CEO Scott Kirby said those deliveries will reduce the carrier’s order for Boeing’s larger 737 Max 10 variant. 

Kirby didn’t specify how many fewer Max 10s the airline would ultimately take. United had originally ordered 277 Max 10s, with options to buy 200 more, and was supposed to receive 80 this year.

“Basically every airplane that Boeing should be making for us would be a Max 10 now,” Kirby said.

Like other airlines, United has been forced to curb growth and fleet replacement plans as Boeing and Airbus struggle to return their factories to pre-pandemic levels of output. 

The commercial debut of the Max 10 isn’t expected before 2025 at best, years behind schedule, as the US manufacturer grapples with tougher regulatory scrutiny and redesign of the jet’s engines anti-ice system.

United has been outspoken about its frustration with delays to the Max 10 model, and has already turned to rival Airbus’s A321neo model, reaching deals to lease 35 jets.