Airlines Have A Problem That's Not Going Away Anytime Soon

The industry is dealing with the rising cost of labor and fuel, and its also struggling to hire and train a new generation of pilots, to replace the workers who opted for early retirement during the pandemic. Thanks to unresloved-pandemic induced mental stress, disruptive behavior is much more common on airlines, and many executives still fear that a recession may be on the way, or at least a lessening of the sky highdemand airlines have been experiencing since 2021.

Don’t Miss: What To Know About Air Purifiers, HEPA And Keeping Your Home Safe

But the biggest problem that airlines currently face is the unavoidable truth that it’s hard to operate an airline if you don’t have enough planes. And at the moment, it seems like no one has enough planes.

At the recent IATA (International Air Transport Association) Annual General Meeting in Istanbul, executives warned that the ongoing delivery delays for aircraft and aircraft parts from Boeing (BA) - Get Free Report and Airbus (EADSF) do not seem to be letting up any time soon.

"Suppliers have been far too slow in dealing with supply chain blockages that are both raising costs and limiting our ability to deploy aircraft," IATA director general Willie Walsh said during his state of the industry address. "Airlines are beyond frustrated. A solution must be found."

The IATA projected airlines will collectively make a profit for the first time this year since the pandemic, a projected $9.8 billion. Part of this is that due to a lack of airplanes and high demand, ticket prices are rising. But in the long term, a lack of supply impedes airlines’ ability to grow and expand in the coming years, and the lack of available replacement parts means that airlines are much more vulnerable to delays. In addition to the supply chain issues that have become common post-pandemic, a big reason that Boeing and Airbus are having trouble delivering enough planes to airlines such as Delta (DAL) - Get Free Report and United is that the ongoing invasion of Ukraine is making it difficult to acquire titanium, a key component of plane manufacturing from Russia, owing to sanctions and boycotts. As a result, Airbus is targeting 720 deliveries this year; it delivered 863 in 2019. In the first quarter of this year, Airbus delivered just 127 planes, and Boeing delivered 124 aircraft. United has said it expects the 56 narrowbodies that were supposed to arrive this year to instead arrive next year, and for the 40 single-aisle deliveries scheduled for 2024 to instead arrive in 2025.

British Airways plans winter Ljubljana flights

British Airways has requested slots at London’s Heathrow Airport to operate flights to Ljubljana during the 2023/24 winter season. So far, the flag carrier has maintained only seasonal summer operations to the Slovenian capital since it launched services to the city in 2019. Based on the slot request, British Airways plans to add 25.344 seats between the two cities during the winter, which begins on October 29 and runs until March 30, 2024. However, it should be noted that British Airways can still change its decision, which is not final. Tickets are yet to be put on sale on the route for the winter. Existing services are scheduled to run until October 25. Prior to the pandemic, London was one of Ljubljana’s busiest routes, served by several airlines to several of the city’s airports. However, during the first quarter of 2023, passenger numbers on flights to the UK’s capital were down 54.7% compared to the pre-pandemic 2019.

11-Year-Old Girl Dies on Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to New York

An 11-year-old girl traveling on a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to New York tragically passed away on Sunday, NBC reports. During the flight, the girl suddenly fell ill and lost consciousness, prompting the crew to make an emergency landing in Budapest. Despite efforts from a doctor onboard the flight and first responders in Budapest, the girl's life could not be saved. In a statement provided to NBC, the airline said, "Our cabin crew made an announcement over the PA system for any onboard doctors, while the flight's captain promptly diverted to Budapest."

The identity of the child remains undisclosed. After a delay of over four hours at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport, the flight continued to New York’s John F Kennedy Airport. The child’s family disembarked in Budapest following unsuccessful resuscitation attempts.