By Rajesh Kumar Singh
CHICAGO (Reuters) – United Airlines does not expect a strike by factory workers at Boeing to have any impact on its flight schedule for next summer, including new route launches, a top executive at the carrier said on Thursday.
Around 33,000 workers that build Boeing’s 737, 777 and 767 jets have been on strike for nearly four weeks, leading to a decline in aircraft deliveries to its airline customers.
United, one of Boeing’s most prominent customers, received just 28 planes from the jet maker in the first nine months this year, down from 59 a year ago.
The Chicago-based airline has plans to fly its largest-ever transatlantic schedule next summer. It will also offer flights to new destinations in Mongolia, Taiwan, Greenland, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Senegal.
Patrick Quayle, senior vice president of international network and alliances at United, said Boeing’s strike was not expected to impact the launch of those routes.
“At the moment, we’re not expecting any impact for summer 2025,” Quayle told reporters. “I’m confident that they’ll get it resolved.”
The latest round of talks between Boeing and its workers broke down on Tuesday, diminishing hopes of a quick end to the strike.
The lead negotiator for the workers told Reuters on Wednesday that members were prepared to wait out the planemaker.
In April, United said it would lease nearly three dozen Airbus planes as part of its efforts to mitigate the impact of Boeing’s delivery delays.
The airline has also dropped Boeing’s 737 MAX 10 planes from its from its schedule due to growing uncertainty about the aircraft’s certification. It has converted some of its MAX 10 orders into the smaller MAX 9.
United also has Airbus’ longest-range narrowbody jet, the A321XLR on order. Quayle said the first XLR is not expected to arrive until January 2026.
The airline plans to replace its Boeing 757 jets with XLRs.
(Reporting by Rajesh Kumar Singh; Editing by Jamie Freed)
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