Some good news coming from Air Asia. They plan to have all of their 204 aircraft back in service this May, one full year ahead of schedule. Very positive for our weather business.
Struggling to activate a fully operational fleet
But with airlines gradually sorting out labor tenures and lesser restrictions worldwide as markets reopen, what other operational challenges could airlines still be trying to combat that would affect their efforts to increase capacity? Besides inflation and the never-ending issue of fuel prices, the primary answer lies in how airlines still struggle to get more aircraft back in the skies.
The disruption to the global supply chain has impacted aircraft manufacturers' ability to speed up production rates. At the same time, airlines suffer from maintenance issues as spares are harder to come by. Without new aircraft readily available and current aircraft experiencing technical problems, airlines have to outsource third-party agreements for wet leasing and maintenance, which incur higher expenses.
Fernandes highlights that AirAsia had been facing similar obstacles. However, the low-cost carrier will have its fleet of more than 200 aircraft back in service by this May, a year earlier than initially planned. He said:
"The main obstacle for us has been getting our planes back into active service, and bringing about 204 planes back is no easy feat. And what was initially predicated on being finished by May of next year, we'll be able to do by May of this year."