Holidaymakers will face an “inevitable” increase in air travel prices as Boeing grapples with a series of safety incidents, controversy and a top management shakeup.

In the latest in a series of accidents for the embattled plane maker, a Boeing 737 crashed after its engine cover fell off as it took off from Denver, Colorado, on Sunday. To the plane’s flaps.

None of the 135 passengers and six crew members on board were injured and the plane landed early before passengers could be transferred to another aircraft.

But Boeing, which has dominated the commercial aircraft market for the better part of a century, is now under intense scrutiny from U.S. regulators, meaning production of one of the company’s flagship jets, the 737 Max, has recently been limited.

Regulators have capped 737 production at 38 planes per month, while Boeing leaders have said they are considering producing fewer planes.

The company plays a key role in the commercial aircraft manufacturing industry – Airbus is its only real competitor – experts tell us I They expect this to have short- and long-term knock-on effects for customers.

How will this affect ticket prices?

Bernard Lavelle, principal consultant at BL Aviation Consulting, said the bonnet incident was part of a “perfect storm” of rising consumer prices.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that ticket prices from and within Europe will increase by approximately 16% from the summer of 2019 to the summer of 2023. Now, Mr Lavelle believes ticket prices will rise again, citing what he calls a “supply and supply issue”. Require”.

“If aircraft supply falls and holidaymaker demand remains high, as is currently the case, prices will inevitably rise,” he said.

Many of the low-cost airlines most popular with British tourists, including Ryanair, rely entirely on Boeing aircraft.

As part of a wider cost-cutting strategy, the Irish airline has chosen to train only pilots and support engineers on Boeing aircraft, meaning it cannot fill gaps by leasing charter aircraft from different providers.

Mr Lavelle pointed out that Ryanair retired many of its aircraft in 2020 when demand was temporarily low due to the pandemic. Aircraft supply in Europe has yet to return to 2019 levels despite a pickup in passenger demand as recent problems slowed Boeing’s production.

Airlines seem to agree on the end of low prices. In August 2022, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary told the media that “the era of the 10-euro ticket is over.”

But not all popular airlines in the UK rely on Boeing. British Airways EasyJet exclusively uses Airbus, the only major commercial aircraft manufacturer.

However, despite receiving less attention, the Dutch aircraft manufacturer is facing supply problems of its own.

Lavelle said Airbus’s A320n family of aircraft has been severely affected by problems with a common engine called the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G, which has limited its ability to supply aircraft on time.

Airbus confirmed last year that the plane would be grounded while it undergoes inspections and repairs.

The aviation consultant said Airbus’s supply issues may affect Hungary’s Wizz Air flight prices, but the impact on easyJet’s flight prices will be less because easyJet uses few Airbus A320 aircraft.

What does this mean for the future of aviation?

Damian Devlin, an aviation lecturer at the University of East London, said the incident could be “a good thing” for Airbus. But he said the series of safety issues likely won’t affect Boeing in the long run.

Dr. Devlin noted that the purchase cycle for aircraft is much longer than almost any other industry on the planet. Airlines typically agree to buy planes from Boeing a decade in advance, he said, meaning Boeing’s position in the industry can be secured if it can assure partners of their safety and quality over the next few years.

The lecturer also believes the huge expense of entering the industry may go some way to protecting Boeing from future competitors entering the market.

“Realistically, the cost of entry is astronomical, so any recent issues are unlikely to open the door for other manufacturers.”

He does believe, however, that one long-term effect will be that customers will think about the planes they fly in a way they never have in the past, with some Online booking service allows users to filter 737 Max aircraft.

“This is something they now have to manage with passengers,” he told I. “Airlines now need to reassure passengers that their fleets are safe.”

Rob Burgess, editor and founder of headforpoints.com, a British frequent flyer website, highlighted that Airbus and Boeing’s order books were “more than five years old for most models”.

So it’s virtually impossible for airlines to switch existing Boeing orders to Airbus without adding years of delays without paying another airline to give up its delivery slots.

“There is also no indication that passengers are unwilling to fly on Boeing aircraft due to the aftermath of the Max crashes [in 2018 and 2019] shows,” he told I.