The strike exacerbated the company's already-precarious outlook after a January incident in which a fuselage panel blew out mid-flight on a 737 MAX operated by Alaska Airlines. "Delivery dates of the air planes that we have ordered from Boeing are still sleeping," Ethiopian Airlines CEO Mesfin Tasew told AFP in Addis Ababa. The delivery schedule fell behind about a year ago and the strike had "worsened" the situation, he said. "The major issue is with Boeing," Mesfin conceded. The delay, according to Mesfin, was due to affect the state-owned airline's longterm growth.
