Grounded planes hit East African airlines amid global parts shortage
Three of the four flag carriers in the region have at least one major aircraft grounded due to engine overhauls or repairs, with a growing backlog at maintenance providers and a scarcity of parts extending downtimes.
The shortage in parts has been driven by a lack of skilled labour and raw materials, amid a steep rise in air travel demand following the post-pandemic recovery, according to a recent analysis by McKinsey.
Additionally, turbulence in supply chains – caused by conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East – has further strained the delivery of parts.
Equipment makers also report difficulties in accessing key components such as semi-conductors, finished castings and forgings.
As a result, prices have gone up, and African airlines say they are often outbid by richer carriers in developed countries for new aircraft and parts, forcing them to endure longer wait periods.
Kenya Airways (KQ) has warned that the prolonged grounding of two of its largest planes will hit its revenues.'We have lost 20 per cent of our capacity, and that is going to affect our results this year because of the strain on our network,' KQ chief executive Allan Kilavuka said in Nairobi last week.
The grounded planes include two 250-seater Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners, which – along with the recently leased Airbus A330-200 – are the largest in KQ's fleet and serve long-haul routes like London, New York, Johannesburg and Lagos.
This disruption comes after KQ posted its best performance in more than a decade last year, making a $42 million profit after nine straight years of losses.
A report by the Controller and Auditor-General linked the grounding to a 62 per cent increase in the carrier's net loss for the year ended June 2024, signalling operational strains as the firm operates with only 12 active aircraft.
RwandAir is also grappling with capacity constraints, with three of its 10 aircraft – including a 189-seater Boeing 737-84Y, a 9W 0-seater Bombardier CRJ-900 and a 90-seater DHC Dash 8-Q402 – grounded. The disruption has led to flight cancellations and schedule changes.'Technical issues affecting our aircraft have led to tactical flight cancellations and the rescheduling of RwandAir services,' the airline said on its website.
RwandaAir CEO Yvonne Makolo did not on respond to queries on the revenue impact of the aircraft grounding.
The situation is expected to persist. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says the aircraft and parts shortage could last well into 2025, straining operations and profits for many carriers.'Manufacturers are letting their customers down. Every airline is frustrated as these problems have persisted that long,' said IATA Director-General Willie Walsh at the group's annual meeting in New Delhi, India.'Indications that it could take until the end of the decade to fix them are off-the-chart unacceptable!'IATA says more than 1,100 aircraft under 10 years old – 3.8 per cent of the global fleet – are grounded, compared to just 1.3 per cent between 2015 and 2018.
Meanwhile, more than 17,000 new plane orders are backlogged, and firms are waiting an average of 14 years for delivery.
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