"I thought, this is great, I'm going to get this aircraft out of the door by maybe April [2020], and then, of course, it all went wrong," Clark said.
The delivery delay means early models would enter service well past their intended deployment window.
"If we were to take those [early] aircraft in the first quarter of next year, they'll be nearly eight years old, they're half-life and no use to anybody," Clark said.
Emirates firmly advised the manufacturer against attempting to deliver the older units.
"At the same time, we've been intimating to Boeing that's not the way they should go," Clark said.
Financial provisions for scrapping unused inventory would be the standard accounting step, according to Clark.
"Quite honestly, if it had been me looking at these kind of things, looking at the prognosis…at some point, I would have provisioned for the write-off," he said.
>>> Enhanced Emergency Audio Raises New Questions in Nolan Wells Death Case
He added that carrying unviable aircraft inventory offers limited commercial utility.
Boeing could potentially seek alternative buyers willing to purchase updated models at steep discounts. "I probably would have said, 'These aren't going anywhere'," Clark said.
The physical storage conditions of the aircraft near Boeing facilities reflect their current stranded status.
"They have been standing on their wheels, with no engines of course, for some time," he said.
Storage length has turned the early batch into an unsalvageable operational hurdle for flagship carriers.
"We last saw them a few years ago, parked outside Renton, all greened-up, looking very sad," Clark said.
