At the inaugural IATA World Maintenance and Engineering Symposium in Madrid, the International Air Transport Association laid out four strategic priorities aimed at resolving chronic supply chain disruptions that are hampering global airline operations. The announcement follows mounting pressure on the industry, with an order backlog of over 18,000 aircraft and the average fleet age reaching a record 15.2 years.
IATA Director-General Willie Walsh underscored the financial toll during his Report on the Air Transport Industry: “Being short over 5,000 more fuel-efficient replacement aircraft that airlines had counted on means missed efficiency gains, not to mention higher lease rates and increased maintenance costs. In total, supply chain failures cost airlines at least $11 billion in 2025. Today’s higher fuel prices will only make that worse.”
Four-Point Action Plan
Stuart Fox, IATA’s Director of Flight and Technical Operations, detailed the four improvement measures during the symposium. He stressed that practical cooperation across the aviation value chain is essential to address delivery delays, engine durability issues, material shortages, and constrained maintenance capacity.
Enhanced Supply Chain Visibility
IATA is urging manufacturers to provide earlier and more reliable information on delivery delays, repair turnaround times, parts availability, and known bottlenecks. This would enable airlines—from legacy carriers like Lufthansa and British Airways to low-cost operators such as Ryanair and AirAsia—to better plan their global network operations.
Open Up the Aftermarket
The association is calling for more original equipment manufacturers to adopt principles similar to the IATA-CFM agreement, which supports greater competition in the aftermarket. This includes reinforcing access to third-party MRO services, alternative parts, and approved repairs. Fox noted that longstanding commercial restrictions on repair instructions, tooling, and spares distribution limit airlines’ ability to use safe, certified alternatives, reducing choice and driving up costs.
Unlock Data, Digitalisation, and AI
IATA advocates for better integration between airline maintenance systems and external market intelligence to improve inventory management, identify material availability, and support repair-or-replace decisions. Artificial intelligence can further predict demand, identify shortages, and reduce manual work. This aligns with broader travel-tech trends, as AI investment surpasses mobile apps as a travel tech priority.
Build Human Capacity
With Boeing estimating that 710,000 new maintenance technicians will be needed over the next 20 years, IATA is urging a review of recruitment, training, and licensing processes. Reducing qualification bottlenecks and creating cross-border recognition of skills will help fill the gap. Fox commented: “The supply chain is under real pressure, but this is not a reason for pessimism. It is a reason for action.”
IATA also called for realistic, globally coordinated timelines for mandates requiring new aircraft equipment or avionics upgrades. Compliance deadlines must account for certification, equipment availability, and installation capacity. The association has raised these concerns with ICAO, particularly regarding the Global Aeronautical Distress and Safety System (GADSS), Runway Overrun Awareness and Alerting Systems (ROAAS), and Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B). Fox emphasized: “This is not about delaying safety. It is about making safety deliverable.”
The four priorities are not presented as complete solutions, but as critical steps for OEMs, suppliers, MROs, lessors, regulators, and airlines to work together toward resilient aerospace supply chains. As the industry grapples with these challenges, similar pressures are being felt across travel sectors, with MICE industry shifts to premium markets and local supply chains amid cost pressures.
