A month ago, when pieces of Boeing’s 737 Max 9 were falling from the sky, Canadian airlines were quick to point out they don’t fly the ill-fated airplane.That’s because they’re into the 737 Max10 for tens of billions of bucks in back orders. And thanks to Boeing’s ongoing troubles with the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), the expansion plans of major Canadian carriers could be stuck at the gate. WestJet alone has more than 65 Max 10s on order, worth $7.76 billion. The first were to arrive in 2028 but the FAA is refusing to allow any expansion in production for any 737 variant until it completes investigations into the January 5 Alaska Airlines incident that saw a door plug fly off the fuselage of a Max 9..That could take years.On Tuesday, the US National Transportation Safety Board issued a preliminary report on the incident that identified structural failure due to missing bolts. On Monday, a contractor said it may have to delay delivery on as many as 50 undelivered planes due to improperly drilled holes that had been found on nearly two dozen planes.Although it doesn’t affect existing planes that have been inspected and returned to service, it could pose significant delays for future production.In late January, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby hinted that his company is considering ways to back out of its own commitments to buy more than 100 Max 10s it ordered as far back as 2018 and were expected to arrive in 2020. At a minimum, United is at least five years behind its original delivery date.“We’re going to at least build a plan that doesn’t have the Max 10 in it,” Kirby said.The ensuing backlog would put carriers such as WestJet in a bind as it seeks to replace older-generation aircraft with the newer 737 designs that are up to 20% more efficient. The Max 10 also has as many as 50 more seats previous models..Failure to put them into service translates into higher fuel costs and ultimately, higher airfares. Not to mention ambitious expansion plans.In November of last year, the company said it was adding routes to Europe, Japan and even direct flights from Calgary to Reykjavik, Iceland, due its “growing 737 MAX fleet.”“We continue to work closely with Boeing on all aspects of aircraft delivery and timelines,” a WestJet spokesperson told PostMedia in an emailed statement. “We believe our order book and fleet planning have the built-in flexibility to support WestJet’s growth plans.”
