Why Are Airlines Struggling to Keep Up With Soaring Demand?

Global aviation markets are experiencing robust demand, with the North Atlantic and Europe among the star performers. Asia was slower in recovering from the pandemic slump but is now moving in the right direction.

This demand is filling planes and boosting profitability, but another key factor is driving buoyant results – constrained capacity. 

For the most part, this has not been through airline choice but due to a series of supply chain and technical challenges. As 2025 gains momentum, what does this mean for the airline industry and is the situation likely to improve?

Under normal circumstances, airlines plan timetables more than a year in advance. The general objective is for tickets to be on sale from 12 months before departure. There is always flexibility to make changes, additions, and deletions closer in, but flights are more likely to perform better with sufficient lead time to promote and build up bookings. 

Accurate and optimal timetabling depends on the certainty of aircraft being available. There are always competing demands for a given aircraft, with availability also influenced by factors such as maintenance requirements.

However, the magnitude of supply chain problems in recent years is of a scale and complexity that I’ve not witnessed at any point in my career. It cuts across aircraft types and engine suppliers. 

There are multiple reasons for this unprecedented set of circumstances.

Boeing was facing production restrictions long before the pandemic. The regulatory spotlight fell on its safety and quality processe