British Airways (BA) plans to cancel several hundred long-haul flights in their winter schedule due to delays in the delivery of Rolls-Royce engines and spare parts for their Boeing 787 fleet. The British airline, part of the International Airlines Group (IAG), announced on Friday that it is postponing the introduction of a new route from Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur and temporarily suspending a daily flight between London Gatwick and New York, as well as between London Heathrow and Doha.

The main cause of the numerous flight cancellations is delays in the delivery of Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines used in Boeing 787 aircraft. These shortages have caused five out of a total of 40 Boeing 787 aircraft from BA to remain grounded, resulting in an insufficient number of aircraft to maintain the planned flight schedule. Additionally, some replacement engines had to be exchanged sooner than expected, further exacerbating the situation.

In addition to the problems with Rolls-Royce, BA is also facing increasing delays due to air traffic control, which have increased since the pandemic. An analysis by the Financial Times found that flight delays and cancellations at London's Heathrow hub have doubled since the end of 2022. These additional challenges are significantly burdening the airline's operational processes.

CEO Kelly Ortberg stated in a release: "Our business operations are in a difficult situation, and the current challenges require urgent measures to improve the reliability of our flight operations." Despite these cuts, Ortberg emphasized that BA has only limited influence on certain external factors contributing to the delays.

To alleviate the production problems, BA had previously deployed Boeing 777 aircraft as replacements. However, these now require routine maintenance, further exacerbating operational limitations. The airline stated that it had informed Rolls-Royce about the impact of the delivery issues and is seeking a quick and reliable solution.

Rolls-Royce responded with a statement emphasizing that it is working intensively to increase the availability of spare parts and minimize supply chain issues. "Unfortunately, this problem affects the entire aviation industry," said a Rolls-Royce spokesperson. The company also announced investments of one billion pounds over the next five years to improve the fuel efficiency and durability of the Trent engines.

The disruptions at BA are the latest blow for an airline that has been struggling with operational difficulties since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Analysts at Bernstein doubted whether the announced leadership changes and cost-cutting measures could solve the immediate challenges. "The problems at BA are rooted in aggressive pricing strategies and high inventories. It remains to be seen how effectively the new management decisions can reverse these trends," commented an analyst.