According to the International Air Transport Association ( IATA
), supply chain issues will continue affecting airlines in 2025, with the average age of the global aircraft fleet already rising in 2024.
Aircraft deliveries falling sharply
In a statement, IATA warned that supply chain problems will persist and negatively impact airlines’ performance in 2025. The association shared several data points that showed how the global aircraft fleet fared worse in 2024.
- The average global aircraft fleet age has worsened from an average of 13.6 years to 14.8 years.
- Aircraft deliveries have fallen by 30% from their peak in 2018, when manufacturers delivered 1,813 aircraft. IATA estimated 1,254 deliveries in 2024 and 1,802 in 2025.
- The cumulative backlog has reached 17,000 aircraft, a record high. If delivered at current rates, some airlines would have to wait 14 years for a new aircraft.
- The number of stored aircraft is 14%, which, while being an improvement, was 4% higher than before the pandemic.
Photo: AstroVictor | Shutterstock
IATA noted that around 700 aircraft, or 2% globally, have been parked due to engine inspections of the Pratt & Whitney
PW1100G, also known as the Geared Turbofan (GTF).
When RTX, the parent company of Pratt & Whitney, disclosed a rare condition in the powder metal used to manufacture certain parts of the GTF in July 2023 and provided a subsequent update in September 2023, it said that the peak of the accelerated inspections-related groundings would occur in H1 2024.
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Triple whammy on revenues, costs, and environmental performance
Willie Walsh, the director general of IATA, said that supply chain problems have frustrated every airline with a triple whammy on revenues, costs, and environmental performance.
“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.”
In addition, aging aircraft have higher costs, burn more fuel, and are more expensive to maintain. Walsh added that leasing rates have risen more than interest rates as competition for aircraft to expand capacity has intensified.
Photo: Thiago B Trevisan | Shutterstock
“This is a time when airlines need to be fixing their battered post-pandemic balance sheets, but progress is effectively capped by supply chain issues that manufacturers need to resolve.”
IATA added that fuel efficiency remained flat between 2023 and 2024, at 0.23 liters per 100 available tonne kilometers (ATK), which was a step back from the long-term trend of annual efficiency improvements of 1.5% to 2%.
Furthermore, the association highlighted that lease rates for narrowbody aircraft have shot up 20% to 30% compared to 2019, as airlines have looked for ways to ensure they can grow and respond to the passenger demand.
“Manufacturers are letting down their airline customers and that is having a direct impact of slowing down airlines’ efforts to limit their carbon emissions. If the aircraft and engine manufacturers could sort out their issues and keep their promises, we’d have a more fuel-efficient fleet in the air.”
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Affecting both members of the duopoly
Supply chain issues have affected the two members of the so-called duopoly, namely Airbus and Boeing. In June 2024, Airbus
had to revise its 800 annual delivery goal to 770, with the manufacturer citing its own supply issues.
By November, the European plane maker was more positive, yet Guillaume Faury, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Airbus, was still cautious about delivering 770 aircraft in 2024. By the end of November, the company had delivered 643 aircraft year-to-date (YTD).
Photo: Airbus
Meanwhile, 
Boeing
, in addition to the supply chain issues, had to deal with a major quality lapse that resulted in a mid-air door plug blowout on an 
Alaska Airlines
737 MAX 9 in January, as well as a 52-day strike by its machinists, including those working at its assembly sites in Washington.
The US-based manufacturer confirmed that it has restarted production following the strike by the members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District Lodge 751 and District W24, with its production facilities coming online on December 6.
Photo: Boeing
As of November 30, Boeing had 318 deliveries YTD. In 2023, the plane maker handed over 528 aircraft to its customers. Boeing will enter 2025 with new leadership at the helm of the company, with David Calhoun stepping aside to let Kelly Ortberg, the new president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Boeing, take the reins of the company.
Ortberg already promised that in the near-term future, Boeing’s goal will be to change its culture, stabilize the business, and improve program execution.
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