United has 79 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft, more than any other carrier.
United Airlines on Monday forecast a first-quarter loss due to the Federal Aviation Administration’s grounding of Boeing 737 Max 9 planes this month after a part blew out during an Alaska Airlines flight operated with that type of aircraft.
United expects to post an adjusted loss of between 35 cents and 85 cents a share for the first three months of the year, it said in a filing. The forecast is the first indication for investors of the financial damage caused by the FAA’s grounding of the planes, issued a day after the incident on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on Jan. 5.
United has 79 of the aircraft in its fleet, more than any other carrier, followed by Alaska. United said Monday it expects the planes to remain grounded through Jan. 26, though its forecast assumes it won’t be able to fly the planes at all this month.
