IATA chief says ‘unacceptable’ supply chain bottlenecks stalling production of badly needed aircraft
Passengers queue inside the departures area of Terminal 2 at Heathrow Airport in London. (Reuters File Photo)
GENEVA – The global airline industry is expected to earn revenue of more than $1 trillion from record passenger numbers, despite “unacceptable” difficulties in securing new planes, says the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Airlines around the world have seen their growth hampered by problems at Boeing and Airbus which have delayed jet deliveries. Without newer, more efficient planes, airlines say they cannot cut fuel costs while flying more people.
“We’ve given them time. I think our patience has run out. The situation is unacceptable, IATA director-general Willie Walsh told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday.
Walsh said suppliers to the civilian aviation industry were acting like “quasi-monopolies” and appeared to be benefiting from the problems they had caused.
“We’re going to have to ramp up the pressure and maybe look for support to force key suppliers to get their act together,” said Walsh, who was previously head of British Airways and its parent company IAG.
Engine makers have had a series of setbacks in the delivery of new engines or increased wear and tear in their latest generation of engines, causi
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