However, due to supply chain constraints, these aircraft may not be delivered for several years, Bloomberg wrote. Jefferies estimates the backlog is currently 12,720 machines.
The high ticket prices that people have been complaining about in recent months could therefore rise even more. “People have gotten used to lower airfares during the pandemic, and reopening China will make things worse,” said Ajay Awtaney, who founded LiveFromALounge, a website for frequent travelers.
“It’s not just the lack of planes, but also other factors like oil prices,” he added. Also counting are the return of business travel and the fact that many people want to take a holiday abroad after several years.
Bestsellers from Boeing and Airbus have been sold out for a long time
Boeing and Airbus have sold out of their most popular narrow-body models until at least 2029. Demand from airlines and their efforts to renew aging fleets are exacerbating problems in the supply chain, with shortages of both necessary components and labor. In early December, Airbus reduced its goal of delivering 700 aircraft this year, citing problems in the supply chain. Earlier, the European aircraft maker warned that rising energy prices would be felt most by smaller manufacturers with energy-intensive operations, such as suppliers of castings and forgings.
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The American company Air Lease Corporation, one of the largest aircraft leasers in the world, has lately received all the planes it ordered over the past two years, said the company’s head Steve Udvar-Hazy. “We haven’t received a single aircraft on time, whether it’s the 737 MAX, the 787 or the A330, the A350,” he said. “And the worst was with the A321neo. They were delayed up to six or seven months if we compare the contracted delivery month with the actual delivery,” he added.
Thousands of planes have been parked by carriers in deserts around the world during the main onslaught of the covid-19 pandemic. Airlines have not returned hundreds to their fleets. After being out of service for so long, the machines either need heavy maintenance, or the airlines plan to phase them out and therefore don’t include them in their flight schedules.
The solution may be to use older machines. In the extreme, airlines can extend the aircraft’s waiting cycle,” said Sunny Xi, director of consultancy Oliver Wyman. Airlines in Asia, for example, plan fleets on 12-year cycles, which is less than in most other regions.But during the restructuring that carriers have gone through in recent years, “several airlines have expanded existing fleets and may continue to do so in the future,” Xi added.
Boeing is struggling to certify the largest 737 MAX
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