‘Desperate’ airlines face summer flight cancellations – with Brits warned there aren’t enough planes

HOLIDAYMAKERS are being warned to expect more flight cancellations this summer – as there aren’t enough planes.

Airlines have been left with fewer aircraft following the Alaska Airlines incident back in January, when the door of a Boeing 737 Max 9 blew out mid-flight.

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Brits are being warned of flight cancellations this summer – because there aren’t enough planes[/caption]

Alamy

A number of Boeing incidents has led to a pause in production of aircraft[/caption]

This led to the grounding of a number of the Boeing aircraft while they awaited inspection, and a pause in production.

And it’s not just Boeing – hundreds of Airbus engines have been recalled by manufacturer Pratt & Whitney following concerns over safety, affecting as many as 650 planes.

Earlier this year, Martha Neubauer, senior associate at AeroDynamic Advisory, warned that airlines would get 19 per cent fewer aircraft this year because of it.

And in response, ‘desperate’ airlines are being forced to lease aircraft instead.

However, the demand is outweighing supply due to the number of airlines requiring them, according to Avia Solutions, the world’s largest aircraft leasing company.

Avia chairman Gediminas Ziemelis has warned this is likely to result in cancellations over the summer as airlines will have to reduce their schedule.

He told the Telegraph: “We’re seeing what I would call super-demand. The last time there was anything like this was when traffic rebounded after 9/11.

“Airlines are desperate for aircraft because of the production problems but the well is dry.

“I think in this dislocated system that cancellations are quite possible.”

Of the company’s 250 aircraft available in Europe, just eight are yet to be leased.

TUI already has 14 of them in their fleet, with British Airways having four and Lufthansa having eight.

Turkish Airlines has the most, with more than 30.

And the demand is expected until at least 2026, Mr Ziemelis said.

Since January, a number of incidents have affected Boeing planes.

In March, two incidents saw a Boeing 777 plane lose it’s wheels, while a Boeing 787 ‘sudden nose-dive’ resulted in 50 injured.

Airlines are desperate for aircraft because of the production problems

Gediminas Ziemelis, Avia chairman

In April, three incidents saw a wheel fall off a Boeing 737 in South Africa, while another Boeing 737 engine cover was ripped off mid-flight.

And earlier this month, a Boeing 767 plane nosedived on the runway after a landing gear failure.

However, earlier this year Boeing said more than “80 airlines operate around 5,000 flights every day” with passengers landing safetly.

They added: “The 737 MAX family’s in-service reliability is above 99 per cent and consistent with other commercial airplane models.”

Along with cancellations, it could also result in higher fares, according to Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary.

The budget airline has already been forced to reduce flights after only receiving 40 Boeing aircraft rather than 57.

He has since warned this could see flights cost up to 10 per cent more this year with a “higher fare environment across Europe”.