The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called for urgent reforms to the global aviation supply chain as airlines continue to grapple with aircraft delivery delays, engine durability problems and shortages of spare parts that are driving up operational costs across the industry.

 

Speaking at the inaugural IATA World Maintenance and Engineering Symposium in Madrid on Wednesday, industry leaders outlined priority areas aimed at strengthening a supply chain that has struggled to recover fully from pandemic-era disruptions.

The concerns come at a time when airlines worldwide are facing an aircraft order backlog exceeding 18,000 jets, while the average age of the global fleet has reached a record 15.2 years.

Mounting costsAccording to IATA director-general Willie Walsh, supply chain failures cost airlines at least $11 billion in 2025, with the impact expected to worsen amid higher fuel prices.

IATA’s director of flight and technical operations, Stuart Fox, said airlines continue to face disruptions caused by delayed aircraft deliveries, engine reliability issues, shortages of materials and spare parts, and limited maintenance capacity.

He warned that airlines are increasingly being forced to operate older aircraft for longer than planned, undermining efficiency and sustainability goals.

According to IATA, the financial impact of these disruptions exceeded $11 billion in 2025 alone, with losses distributed across several key areas.“That is money that should have been available for networks, people, decarbonisation and other important projects,” Fox said.

IATA said engine maintenance remains the most acute pressure point in the system.

Beyond engines, the broader aviation system is under strain. The global aircraft order backlog has now surpassed 18,000 aircraft, with delivery delays creating a gap of more than 5,000 aircraft that airlines had expected to receive.

The result, Fox warned, is that airlines must continue to deliver efficiency, reliability and environmental performance using fleets that are older and less capable than originally planned.“This has a direct impact on costs, capacity, resilience and sustainability, and it ultimately affects both passengers and shippers,” he said.

Priority areasThe causes of the crisis are complex and interconnected, including production bottlenecks, engine durability issues, certification delays, raw material shortages, tight labour markets, geopolitical disruptions, and commercial arrangements that limit flexibility when supply chains fail.

Given the scale of the challenge, IATA said there is no single solution. Instead, it has identified four priority areas that could significantly improve resilience across the aviation supply chain.

The first is enhanced supply chain visibility, followed by opening up the aftermarket, unlocking data and artificial intelligence, and strengthening human capacity in aviation maintenance.

Fox called on manufacturers and suppliers across the value chain to provide earlier, clearer and more reliable information on delivery schedules, repair turnaround times, parts availability and known constraints.

IATA also renewed its call to expand competition in the aircraft maintenance ecosystem by increasing access to third-party maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) providers, alternative parts suppliers and approved repair networks.

The association argues that restrictive commercial practices around tooling, repair instructions and spare parts distribution reduce competition and extend aircraft downtime and increase costs for airlines.

Skills gapThe third priority is greater integration of digital systems and artificial intelligence into airline maintenance operations. IATA said improved data sharing could enhance inventory management, predict shortages, and support repair-or-replace decisions more efficiently.

The final priority is human capacity. Boeing estimates that the aviation industry will require around 710,000 new maintenance technicians over the next 20 years, raising concerns about workforce readiness.

IATA said reforms to training, licensing and recruitment frameworks are urgently needed to avoid long-term skill shortages.

The association also urged regulators to adopt more realistic timelines for the implementation of safety-related equipment mandates, including systems such as the Global Aeronautical Distress and Safety System (GADSS), Runway Overrun Awareness and Alerting Systems (ROAAS), and ADS-B upgrades.

Fox stressed that the call is not about delaying safety improvements, but ensuring they are deliverable in practice.“This is not about delaying safety,” he said. “It is about making safety deliverable. Global safety improvements require coordinated implementation timelines that reflect certification, equipment availability and installation capacity.”

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