Boeing's delivery delays force United Airlines to pause pilot hiring as fallout spreads from 737 Max safety issues

United Airlines will pause pilot hiring in May and June due to aircraft delivery delays from Boeing, according to an internal memo.

'United will slow the pace of pilot hires this year due to continued aircraft certification delay and manufacturing delays at Boeing,' said the memo to all United pilots on Thursday.

According to the message, United says it would not be able to grow in pace with its 2024 expectations due to continued delays at Boeing. 

Boeing is facing increased scrutiny from regulators due to a January 5 incident when a door plug blew off a brand new 737 Max plane in mid-air during an Alaska Airlines flight.

The US Federal Aviation Administration has also barred the plane maker from expanding production of its best-selling 737 Max narrow-bodied jets.

United Airlines will pause pilot hiring in May and June due to aircraft delivery delays from Boeing, according to an internal memo (file photo)

Boeing is facing increased scrutiny from regulators due to a January 5 incident when a door plug blew off a brand new 737 Max plane in mid-air during an Alaska Airlines flight 

'We had contractual deliveries for 80 Max 10s this year alone, but those aircraft aren't even certified yet and it is impossible to know when they will arrive,' said the memo from Marc Champion, VP flight operations, and Kirk Limacher, VP flight operations planning and development.

United cut its 2024 forecast for Max 8 delivery from Boeing to 37 from 43 aircraft. It also expects to receive 15 fewer Max 9s this year, according to its annual filing from last week.

Earlier this year, United CEO Scott Kirby said the airline would build a new fleet plan that did not include the largest member of the 737 Max family due to regulatory and delivery delays.

New hire classes for United pilots are expected to resume in July, the memo showed.

Meanwhile, Boeing is under further scrutiny over safety issues, after federal regulators said they are investigating another issue involving a 737 Max plane.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Thursday it is probing a United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 flight last month that experienced 'stuck' rudder pedals during the landing rollout.

The NTSB said in a preliminary report on the February 6 flight that the plane taxied to the gate at Newark Airport without incident and there were no injuries to the 161 passengers and crew.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Thursday it is probing a United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 flight last month that experienced 'stuck' rudder pedals

It reported that the captain said that during the landing rollout, the rudder pedals did not move in response to 'normal' application of foot pressure while attempting to maintain the runway centerline.

Last month, the FAA formally mandated inspections in Boeing 737 Max airplanes for loose bolts in the rudder control systems after the plane maker recommended them in December.

The NTSB report said the captain said that in the Max 8 flight last month the pedals remained 'stuck' in their neutral position.

The captain used the nosewheel steering tiller to keep the airplane near the runway centerline while slowing to a safe speed before exiting the runway onto a high-speed turn-off, the report said.

The NTSB said the captain asked the first officer to check his rudder pedals and the first officer reported the same problem. The captain said that shortly thereafter the rudder pedals began to operate normally.

Three days after the incident, United conducted a test flight and was able to duplicate the reported rudder system malfunction identified during the incident on the same plane.

The NTSB was notified of the flight control issue after the flight test result and opened an incident investigation.