Airlines just have a lot of headaches these days.
The main problem, of course, is that airlines just don’t have enough pilots, as a great number of people were offered buyouts and early retirement during the pandemic, and airlines have been struggling to recruit and train the next generation. Some estimates believe the aviation industry is set for a shortfall of 18,000-plus pilots each year for the next decade.
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But pilots aren’t the only crucial element of travel that's in short supply. There’s also not enough planes and crucial plane parts, as a recent feature in Travel Weekly indicates that the supply chain issues that vexed airlines since 2021 have not yet abated.
The parts shortage has been roiling the industry for a while now, as two of the main aircraft manufacturers, Airbus (EADSF) and Boeing (BA), have struggled to deliver planes on time, or to meet specific order numbers. JetBlue (JBLU) was set to receive 29 planes from Airbus this year, but will instead only get about 22.
Similarly, American Airlines (AAL) expected to receive only 9 Boeing 737 Max 8 planes this year, instead of the 27 it had been expecting. Boeing plans to deliver 375 Boeing 737 planes this year, a significant drop off from its January estimate of around 500 of them.
One of the main issues is that aerospace companies are struggling to hire the workers necessary to keep up with demand, which is making it difficult to ramp up production to keep pace with the recovery in air travel.
