TUI Group will decide by the end of May 2019 whether to implement contingency plans for the grounding of B737-8s for the peak summer season, Group CEO Friedrich Joussen told CNBC.
"We have to make decisions and we have communicated that we need to make a decision until the end of May in order to decide which of the scenarios is the active one. As a tour operator, we are bringing customers to their vacation and their holidays need to be secured. So we have actually secured capacity in the market in order to make sure that our customers can fly," Joussen said.
Joussen then went on to clarify that while the decision on the B737 MAX 8s will need to be taken by the end of May, the actual contracts for wet-leased capacity will gradually have to be extended after that date before mid-July, when the busiest time begins.
The travel group has also already opened talks with Boeing (BOE, Chicago O'Hare) regarding compensation for the grounding of the MAX 8s.
...
