Struggling to restructure Asia-Pacific deals, Airbus warns region’s airlines at risk of falling behind Europe, US
- ‘Question marks’ on timing of purchases, delivery dates linger as regional carriers struggle with ongoing travel restrictions, chief commercial officer says
- AirAsia, Philippine Airlines among those navigating restructurings forced by the devastation Covid-19 has wrought on international travel
Airbus has raised the alarm over the standstill in Asian air travel that continues to hobble pandemic-battered airlines, with the European planemaker saying it is struggling to restructure deals for a large number of aircraft ordered by the region’s carriers.
The aircraft giant’s top salesman warned in an interview that ongoing delays to the reopening of international travel could leave Asia at the back of the queue for new aircraft as Europe and the United States forge ahead in reviving economic growth and activity.
Asia’s lagging air travel recovery has been a source of concern and frustration, Airbus chief commercial officer Christian Scherer said.
“It’s a concern, because we have plane contracts that are shifting … as a consequence of the airlines being in ‘limbo’,” he told the Post on the sidelines of a global aviation summit in Boston last week.
