The global aerospace supply chain has become an increasingly significant challenge for airlines, affecting fleet expansion, maintenance operations and operating costs.
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), persistent delays in aircraft deliveries, shortages of spare parts and limited maintenance capacity continue to disrupt airline operations, prompting the organisation to outline four priorities aimed at strengthening the aviation supply chain.
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Delay And Shortage Pressure Is Spreading Across Aviation
The priorities were presented at the inaugural IATA World Maintenance and Engineering Symposium in Madrid, where the association called for stronger supply chain visibility, a more open aftermarket, greater use of data and artificial intelligence, and renewed investment in maintenance technician training.
The scale of the challenge was also highlighted during IATA’s recent Annual General Meeting. IATA Director General Willie Walsh said the aircraft order backlog had climbed to more than 18,000, while the average fleet age had reached a record 15.2 years.
Airlines were also “short over 5,000 more fuel-efficient replacement aircraft that airlines had counted on,” he said, a gap that has translated into “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,” Walsh said in IATA’s Report on the Air Transport Industry.
Pressure now extends well beyond aircraft deliveries, according to IATA. Engines, materials, spare parts and maintenance capacity are all under strain, creating bottlenecks across the aviation value chain.
“Alongside aircraft delivery delays, engine durability issues, shortages of materials and spare parts, and constrained maintenance capacity are disrupting airline operations,” said Stuart Fox, IATA’s Director of Flight and Technical Operations. “Addressing these challenges will require practical action and cooperation across the aviation value chain.”
Four Priorities For A Strained Supply Chain
IATA says the industry’s response should focus on four practical areas.
1. Better Supply Chain Visibility
The priority is improved visibility across the supply chain. IATA argues that airlines need earlier and more reliable information from manufacturers on delivery delays, repair turnaround times, parts availability and known bottlenecks so they can plan their networks more effectively.
2. A More Open Aftermarket
The association is also calling for a more open aftermarket, urging more manufacturers to adopt the key principles in the IATA-CFM agreement. The framework supports greater competition by strengthening access to third-party maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services, alternative parts and approved repairs.
IATA said long-standing commercial restrictions on repair instructions, tooling, approved repair networks and spare parts distribution can limit airlines’ ability to use safe, certified alternatives. In practice, that reduces competition, extends waiting times and raises costs.
3. Smarter Use Of Data And AI
A third priority is unlocking the value of data, digitalisation and artificial intelligence. IATA said closer integration between airline maintenance systems and external market intelligence could improve inventory management, highlight material scarcity, support repair-or-replace decisions and strengthen warranty claims.
Artificial intelligence, the association added, could also help airlines forecast demand, identify shortages and reduce manual work at a time when parts availability has become harder to manage.
IATA pointed to its cooperation with the International Airlines Technical Pool (IATP) to help airlines improve visibility and access to aircraft parts, as well as its decision to make MRO SmartHub available to airlines at no cost through a data participation programme.
4. Expanding Human Capacity
The fourth priority is human capacity. IATA wants the industry to revisit recruitment, training and licensing for maintenance technicians, arguing that timelines must be shorter, access broader and careers more stable.
The need is significant. Boeing estimates that 710,000 new technicians will be required over the next 20 years. IATA said that increasing training capacity, removing unnecessary qualification bottlenecks and improving cross-border recognition of skills would help close the gap.
Safety Deadlines Must Reflect Real-World Constraints
IATA also used the symposium to argue for realistic, globally coordinated timelines for mandates requiring new aircraft equipment or avionics upgrades.
The association said compliance deadlines must account for certification requirements, equipment availability, installation capacity and broader supply chain conditions. It has raised these concerns with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), including requirements linked to the Global Aeronautical Distress and Safety System (GADSS), Runway Overrun Awareness and Alerting Systems (ROAAS) and Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B).
“This is not about delaying safety. It is about making safety deliverable,” Fox said. He added that “global safety improvements require globally coordinated implementation timelines that reflect certification, equipment availability, and installation capacity.”
A Call For Cooperation Across The Aviation Value Chain
Fox said the current pressure on the supply chain should be treated as a call to action rather than a reason for pessimism.
“These four priorities alone are not complete solutions,” he said. “But they would be an important step for OEMs, suppliers, MROs, lessors, regulators and airlines working together to achieve the resilient aerospace supply chains that global connectivity needs.”
