Boeing dangers lacking the Air Drive One 2024 deadline because of authorized manufacturing points

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The new Air Force One aircraft have a chance of missing their 2024 deadline as Boeing has faced a number of issues over the past year, including litigation, production issues and losses.

The U.S. government began building new aircraft to replace the President’s aircraft during the Trump administration and purchased two unused 747s from Boeing to serve as the basis for the new designs.

The last time the president’s plane received an update was more than 30 years ago when former first lady Jackie Kennedy chose the color scheme of the planes. The overhaul is expected to cost around $ 5.3 billion.

Air Force One is seen on the tarmac after U.S. President Joe Biden returned from Pittsburgh to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, United States on March 31, 2021. (REUTERS / Jonathan Ernst)

The costly project is now facing numerous delays and stumbling blocks as Boeing grapples with several issues, including litigation with parts supplier GDC Technics, which was contracted to build the custom interiors of the new aircraft.

Boeing said it terminated its contract with the Texas-based company on April 7 after the company was delayed in its operations for a year, according to court documents.

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The documents refer to a lack of “sufficient staff” to meet the project deadlines and standards.

“As a result of the GDC’s failure, GDC missed numerous deadlines and delivery dates, caused numerous disruptions to the VC-25B program and made insufficient progress on the required aircraft interior work,” said Boeing.

Artist’s impression of the presidential bedroom in the new Air Force. (National Geographic) (JBD PR)

The GDC countered, however, and blamed Boeing for the delays.

“It is Boeing’s mismanagement of the project, not GDC, that has caused delivery of the two Air Force One aircraft to be delayed beyond the expected completion date,” GDC said in its April 16 court file.

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Boeing therefore blamed significant financial losses this year for the delays and costs it took to offset GDC issues: the company saw a 10% drop in sales in jet deliveries, mainly due to quality issues.

The problems are also related to production: 787 shipments were suspended for five months to resolve “manufacturing issues” and 106 MAX jets were grounded due to electrical issues. Overall, Boeing posted a loss of $ 561 million compared to a deficit of $ 641 million the previous year.

Seats on the upper deck of Air Force One. (National Geographic / Renegade Pictures) (JBD PR)

Production and legal issues would suffice, but the pandemic also put a strain on production that can’t be overlooked: Boeing blamed the pandemic for a loss of $ 168 million, according to Defense One.

Boeing attributed the costs to “technical inefficiencies”, although it was not clear how work on the aircraft had been disrupted.

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“These charges were really linked to COVID-19,” Boeing CFO Greg Smith told reporters during a phone call in April 2020. Inefficiencies that caused us to re-evaluate our estimates to complete those efforts. “

Boeing claims it will be able to meet the original deadline thanks to its efforts to work “closely” with the US Air Force.

However, the Air Force is actively re-evaluating the timeline. A delay would result in the aircraft being rolled out after President Biden’s first term, meaning the security measures and technology on the current Air Force One are becoming increasingly obsolete.

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The Department of Defense forwarded all related questions to the Air Force, which did not return FOX Business’ request for comment.

The White House has also not returned FOX Business’s request for comment.