24/7 Space News
AEROSPACE
Airlines chief says jet manufacturers need to deliver
Airlines chief says jet manufacturers need to deliver
By Tangi QUEMENER, Elodie LE MAOU
Geneva (AFP) Dec 10, 2024

World airlines are "cautiously optimistic" for 2025, the industry body's head told AFP on Tuesday, while slamming the big plane manufacturers for not delivering new aircraft fast enough.

Although a record 5.2 billion passengers and increased profits expected next year, International Air Transport Association's (IATA) Director Willie Walsh said many in the industry were "frustrated" at Boeing and Airbus for holding the industry back.

Speaking to AFP from the IATA's headquarters in Geneva, Walsh hailed 2024 as a "good year", with industry revenues topping the $1 trillion mark for the first time on the back of falling oil and fuel prices.

Despite forecasts of fuel prices falling further and an increase in profitability to 3.6 percent -- "not very impressive" compared to other industries -- the IATA chief refused to sound too triumphant.

"When I talk to airline CEOs, I think they're optimistic, but they're cautiously optimistic," Walsh said.

That caution was partly a result of the post-Covid-19 pandemic hangover which hit airlines especially hard, he said.

But the big dampener on the celebratory mood was the niggling supply chain issues which has seen manufacturers deliver only 1,254 aeroplanes to airlines in 2024 -- 30 percent fewer than had been predicted.

- 'Just not good enough' -

With a backlog of 17,000 undelivered planes outstanding, airlines were "very frustrated", especially with big players Boeing and Airbus, Walsh said.

"I think it's actually bordering on anger now because it's gone on for so long," he added.

Boeing saw its production hit this year during a nearly two-month strike by workers, while rival plane-maker Airbus in June lowered its production target for the year to 770 from 800.

"We expect better from these major players. They continue to do well from a financial point of view themselves, but they're transferring a huge burden to the airline industry," Walsh said.

"And quite honestly, you know, it's just not good enough."

Part of the issue came down to decreased reliability, with around two percent of the world's planes grounded for inspection -- "about 700 aircraft" according to Walsh.

"The reliability, the robustness of the engines, the new technology is not where we would expect it. So, we're seeing engines coming off the wing, going into the repair shop much sooner than was expected," Walsh said.

"So, it's very disappointing."

- 'Need to be careful' -

With more and more governments -- particularly in Europe -- mulling increased taxes on air transport, in part to meet their climate commitments, Walsh urged politicians to consider their economic consequences.

"Aviation is a major contributor to economic growth in Europe and has facilitated massive change in Europe," the IATA chief said.

"I think governments need to be careful. They often look at this industry as a source of taxation for additional revenues without understanding the negative impact that that's going to have," Walsh added.

He cited the case of France, which put forward a proposed tripling of a levy on airline tickets, as well as on private jets.

"These taxes will have a big impact on the airline industry, but they'll have a big impact on consumers and politicians often gloss over that," Walsh said.

"The reality of it is consumers will end up paying the bill, because the airline industry can't absorb these additional costs without passing them on to the consumer."

"So this is an issue that damages consumers, damages the economy, and I think politicians need to be much more careful."

Many environmentalists have argued that polluting industries such as aviation need to pay more to account for their fossil fuel consumption that drives climate change.

A global tax on aviation to finance climate action for poorer countries has received the backing of France, Kenya and Barbados, as well as of United Nations chief Antonio Guterres.

elm-tq/abb/nth/sbk/rl

BOEING

Airbus Group

Related Links
Aerospace News at SpaceMart.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
AEROSPACE
Qatar to invest 1 bn pounds in climate technologies with UK
London (AFP) Dec 4, 2024
The British government said Wednesday that it has agreed to a partnership with Qatar that will see the Gulf state invest 1 billion pounds ($1.3 billion) in climate technologies. "The partnership is expected to create thousands of highly skilled jobs over its lifetime and will see the launch of world-leading climate technology hubs across the UK and Qatar to accelerate development in climate-friendly technologies," according to a statement issued during a state visit by Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani ... read more

AEROSPACE
Trump names billionaire private astronaut as next NASA chief

India's Gaganyatris complete initial astronaut training for ISRO-NASA mission to ISS

ISS crew members prepare space botany study and pack Dragon capsule for return

McGill Professor leads AXIS mission in final phase of NASA selection process

AEROSPACE
Rocket Lab prepares to launch Synspective EO satellite

India launches European 'artifical eclipse' satellites

SpaceX reaches milestone with 300th successful booster landing

ESA launches spacecraft that will eventually create artificial solar eclipse

AEROSPACE
Liquid on Mars was not necessarily all water

Purdue scientist expecting new world to reveal itself to Mars rover

China's Tianwen-1 probe reveals new insights into Martian internal gravity waves

Mars Ocean Analogs Completes Winter Solstice Voyage and Plans Future Expeditions

AEROSPACE
Long March 12 set for inaugural launch from Hainan space center

China inflatable space capsule aces orbital test

Tianzhou 7 completes cargo Mission, Tianzhou 8 docks with Tiangong

Zebrafish thrive in space experiment on China's space station

AEROSPACE
China launches third batch of 18 communication satellites

FibreCoat raises 20m euro to advance coated fiber technology in space and defense sectors

AST SpaceMobile teams with Cadence to drive space-based cellular broadband

Parsons and Globalstar demonstrate first software-defined LEO satellite solution

AEROSPACE
A new way to create realistic 3D shapes using generative AI

Speaking crystal AI predicts atomic arrangements to aid material discovery

Cracking the Code for materials that can learn

A film capacitor that can take the heat

AEROSPACE
Unveiling a hydrogen-controlled nano-switch in electron transport proteins

Towards independent robotic exploration of ocean worlds

A caving expedition highlights the complexities of field research

New planet in Kepler-51 system unveiled with JWST observations

AEROSPACE
Magnetic tornado is stirring up the haze at Jupiter's poles

Uranus moons could hold clues to hidden oceans for future space missions

A clue to what lies beneath the bland surfaces of Uranus and Neptune

Europa Clipper deploys instruments on journey to icy moon of Jupiter

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.