Supply chain issues continue to plague commercial aircraft production, leading to a record backlog of more than 17,000 planes. And the International Air Transport Association says it isn’t going to get any better soon. IATA said this week the industry made 30% fewer airliners than projected in 2024 and projections for 2025 look as bad or even worse. Compounding the issue is the fact that about 2% of the current fleet is grounded for engine issues blamed on supply chain problems. “Supply chain issues are frustrating every airline with a triple whammy on revenues, costs, and environmental performance,” said IATA Director General Willie Walsh. “Load factors are at record highs and there is no doubt that if we had more aircraft they could be profitably deployed, so our revenues are being compromised.”
The aircraft shortage has resulted in slower route expansion, and some airlines have pulled old airframes out of desert storage to keep existing routes served. All the factors combined have pushed the average age of the commercial fleet to 14.8 years from the 13.6 it’s averaged over the last 25 years. “The aging fleet that airlines are using has higher maintenance costs, burns more fuel, and takes more capital to keep it flying,” Walsh said. He also said the fleet replacement delays are hampering efforts to meet environmental impact goals.
