ZURICH (Reuters) – Boeing (NYSE:) plane delivery delays are “extremely frustrating” and costing Lufthansa a lot of money, but the U.S. planemaker should be able to resolve its problems, the German airline’s CEO said in a newspaper interview.
Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr responded directly when asked by the Swiss newspaper Neue Zuercher Zeitung how much the recent failures at Boeing and subsequent delivery delays had affected his firm.
“It’s extremely annoying and costs us a lot of money,” Spohr said in an interview published over the weekend. “However, I am confident that Boeing will get the problems under control.”
The Lufthansa boss said the industry needed two strong suppliers, also referring to Boeing’s European rival Airbus.
“It’s in everyone’s interest that Boeing will soon be able to make great airplanes again, more reliable ones,” he added.
Asked whether he could imagine buying Chinese aircraft, Spohr downplayed the prospect.
“Given the safety standards we apply in the Lufthansa Group, I don’t think this is realistic in the coming years,” he said.
Spohr expressed optimism that Lufthansa’s planned purchase of a stake in Italy’s ITA Airways would receive regulatory approval and said he would not be prepared to give up transatlantic flights to North America as a concession to get the go-ahead.