Emirates has urged Boeing to “look after” its employees, as the customer lamented delayed shipments of the company’s newest aircraft.
In an interview given on the opening day of the Farnborough Airshow, Emirates President Tim Clark said that Boeing should cater to the needs of its workers as it attempts to solve its production and delivery issues, The Seattle Times reported.
“The guys on the shop floor, the engineers, the machinists, they know what to do,” Clark said.
Clark, who has served as president of the Dubai-based carrier since 2003, also voiced support for Boeing’s union, saying: “Don’t forget the workforce. Make sure they get a good deal. Make sure that you look after them.”
Boeing’s largest union, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), is currently negotiating with the company regarding employees’ salaries, job security and worker representation.
The union is seeking a 40 percent pay rise over the next three to four years, to address what the IAM said were “ten years of stagnant wages.”
IAM District 751 President Jon Holden said that they were also demanding a promise from Boeing that its next airplane program be located in Washington’s Puget Sound region, and that a union representative be given a seat on Boeing’s 13-member board.
Last week, over 30,000 Boeing employees gathered at the T-Mobile Park in Seattle Washington to authorize a potential strike if the negotiations fail to bear fruit.
The vote passed with over 99 percent approval, according to the IAM, which it said was a “momentum builder” that would force the company to “bargain earnestly.”
Negotiations started in March and are scheduled to continue until September, at which point members will vote on whether or not to commence industrial action.
A strike would compound the production issues already facing the company which, alongside regulatory setbacks, have delayed delivery of its 777X passenger jet.
The 400-passenger 777X is the newest addition to Boeing’s fleet, but its unveiling has been pushed back to the chagrin of major customers.
Its inaugural flight, originally scheduled for 2019, was postponed to 2020 due to issues with the General Electric GE9X engines.
Testing of the 777X was then halted by Boeing in September 2019, after a cargo door blew off one plane during a static stress test.
In April 2022, Boeing paused 777X production and revised its delivery estimate to 2025, citing “an updated assessment of the time needed to meet certification requirements.”
Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration greenlit certification flights of the 777X, in what the company told Newsweek would be the “most thorough commercial flight test effort Boeing has ever undertaken.”
Emirates has placed orders for over 200 777X jets, dating back to 2013, but their president believes these won’t arrive until mid-2026 after receiving full certification at the end of 2025.
During the Farnborough Airshow, Boeing has secured orders for several more 777Xs from Qatar Airways and Korea Air.
Korea Air CEO Walter Cho said that the first of these would be delivered in 2028, but Clark was dubious that the company could meet this deadline given the backlog of orders.
The 777X is of particular importance to Emirates, whose twin-aisle fleet currently consists of older 777s and out-of-production Airbus A380s.
In May, Emirates revealed that it would have to retrofit almost 200 older 777 models due to the delayed delivery. According to The National News, Clark stated that the cost for this project would need to be “put at Boeing’s door.”
Do you have a story we should be covering? Do you have any questions about this article? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
