Boeing Sees No Delay in Gulf Airlines' Jet Deliveries Amid Ongoing Iran War
Boeing's vice president for the Middle East, Gulf and North Africa, Fahad Al Mheiri, claims that Gulf airlines are committed to their long-term fleet expansion plans despite the ongoing Iran war. He attributes this resilience to the global scale of their operations and their ability to deal with short-term disruptions.
The region accounts for about 14% of Boeing's commercial aircraft backlog, with no material delivery deferrals or supply chain disruptions impacting current plans. Boeing has delivered more than a dozen aircraft to Middle East carriers since the start of this year, including Saudi start-up Riyadh Air's first two 787 Dreamliners in June.
The underlying fundamentals that helped make the GCC into a global aviation hub remain sound, Al Mheiri said. He pointed to long-term advantages, including their geographic position as a natural hub connecting East and West, operating modern fuel-efficient long-haul jets that give them a significant cost and performance edge over global peers.
The US plane-maker still expects a strong appetite for new aircraft from Gulf carriers this year amid escalations. Al Mheiri said: 'Yes, we do. The resilience of Gulf carriers is not an accident; it is structural.'