On Sunday, the leader of a group representing global airlines intensified pressure on planemakers to accelerate plane and parts manufacturing, saying that delays would reduce airline capacity as demand for air travel nears complete recovery from the pandemic.
Willie Walsh, the IATA's director general, said that the matter had been broached by "every single one" of the airline CEOs he had seen during the industry's three-day annual convention in Istanbul. "Airlines are not concerned with the macroeconomic environment; they are concerned with the availability of spare parts for their existing aircraft and the delivery of new aircraft."
So it's bound to stifle capacity expansion," he added. "It's frustrating because airlines can see high demand but are unable to match it in many markets." And we want to see this issue rectified." Airbus and Boeing have blamed delivery delays on supply chains, while bottlenecks in a network of engine maintenance shops have prompted carriers to ground hundreds of planes.
The meeting takes place two weeks before the Paris Airshow when supply constraints are expected to overshadow fresh orders.