Trump is ‘not happy’ with Boeing over Air Force One delays, but airlines are growing upbeat

President Donald Trump expressed frustration in latest days in regards to the lengthy await a pair of Boeing 747s that may function the brand new Air Force One planes.

The jets are years delayed. Trump negotiated the $4 billion contract for the plane throughout his first time period, and it is not clear whether or not they’ll be prepared throughout his present one. Value overruns have totaled greater than $2 billion so far.

Trump advisor Elon Musk is working with Boeing in hopes of delivering the plane quicker, the producer’s chief government, Kelly Ortberg, reiterated on Thursday.

“The president’s clearly not glad with the supply timing. I believe he is made that well-known,” Ortberg mentioned at a Barclays industrials convention. “Elon Musk is really serving to us rather a lot in working by way of the necessities … to assist us get the issues that are non-value-added constraints out of the best way in order that we will transfer quicker and get the president these airplanes delivered.”

Ortberg referred to as Musk, CEO of SpaceX, which competes with Boeing’s protection and house unit, a “good man” who can “fairly rapidly verify the distinction between technical requirement and issues that we will transfer out of the best way.”

Aboard one of many present presidential 747s, Trump instructed reporters on Wednesday that he is contemplating alternate options.

“We could purchase a aircraft or get a aircraft, or one thing,” he mentioned, in accordance with Reuters. Trump toured a 747 that was parked at Florida’s Palm Seaside Worldwide Airport over the weekend, the outlet reported.

The White Home did not instantly reply to a request for remark.

Frustration is nothing new for Boeing’s airline clients who confronted lengthy delays for plane simply because the post-pandemic journey increase was taking maintain. A near-catastrophic door-plug blow out in January 2024 additional slowed Boeing deliveries and prompted a management change.

Now some clients are growing extra upbeat. Executives instructed CNBC that it seems the producer has turned a nook below Ortberg, who took the helm in August.

“Boeing is doing a fairly miraculous job of turning round and turning into extra dependable as a provider,” United Airlines CFO Mike Leskinen mentioned Wednesday on the identical Barclays convention. “Our confidence that our MAX plane are going to be delivered on schedule has by no means been larger at my tenure at United Airlines.”

Bob Jordan, CEO of all-Boeing 737 service Southwest Airlines, mentioned on a Jan. 30 earnings name: “Whereas they nonetheless have a lot work to do, they seem like on an excellent path, and we are feeling extra optimistic.”

Talking on the Barclays convention on Thursday, Boeing’s Ortberg mentioned he does not see any provide chain issues that will stop the producer from ramping up manufacturing of its cash-cow 737 Max planes, its bestseller, to 38 per 30 days within the coming months.