By Garrett Reim2021-02-15T01:43:00+00:00
In late October 2020, the Boeing KC-46A Pegasus in-flight refuelling tanker programme reported a $67 million loss due to coronavirus disruptions and production inefficiencies in the third quarter. It was the latest loss in a long series of financial charges in the troubled tanker programme’s short history. Yet, Boeing chief executive David Calhoun saw reasons for optimism.
“The tanker has been a drag on us for like three or four years in every way you can think of with respect to investors, but we are beginning to clear the hurdle with our customer with respect to its performance in their fleet and then their need for that tanker,” Calhoun said during the company’s third-quarter earnings call in October. “So that whole relationship, I believe, will begin to transition next year. And as opposed to being a drag on our franchise, as it’s been, I believe it will become a strength in our franchise.”