Need advise ASAP

Okay so this old friend of mine and I were in contact and we've been planning to hang out and all that but every time we make plans he's always out of town for work and sometimes he will take forever to message back I don't want to think that he's being shady or ghosting me because we've been friends for 7 years but I'm starting to get fed up and I need to know what to do I've asked him what has been going on if he's been ghosting me he says that he's not and that he wouldn't do that to me but I just don't know anymore I need to know what to do like should I drop him or should I confront him again