Emirates chief warns of years of turbulence at Boeing

Boeing will take years to recover from the latest safety crisis, its largest customer has warned.

Tim Clark, who is president of luxury airline Emirates, has said the aircraft manufacturer will struggle to get back on track following the mid-air blowout on an Alaska Airlines flight. 

Speaking at a conference in Dubai last night, Clark said: ‘This will be a five-year hiatus starting from now. I don’t think they will recapture their production line.’ 

Emirates is Boeing’s largest customer in terms of jumbo jets.

The comments come after Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary warned air fares could jump this summer following ongoing turmoil at Boeing.

Long haul: Tim Clark, who is president of Emirates, has said Boeing will struggle to get back on track

Its safety record was thrust back into the spotlight in January after a piece of the plane tore off during an Alaska Airlines flight. 

Investigators said bolts were missing after repair work.

The US giant revealed it had burned through £1billion a month in the first quarter of this year after it slowed production and forked out £347m in compensation. 

Shares have fallen by nearly a third since the Alaska Airlines incident.