According to aviationweek.com, African airlines are sounding urgent alarms over deepening regional supply chain disruptions that are directly impairing aircraft availability, cost control, and brand reputation—highlighted at the inaugural Africa MRO Conference in Addis Ababa.
Chronic Parts Shortages and Logistical Friction
Airline technical leaders from Uganda Airlines and Kenya Airways described a systemic breakdown across the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) value chain. Deborah Acore Luciyamoi, Uganda Airlines’ materials manager, stated plainly: “We barely have MROs in Africa that have the capacity to repair and to overhaul the engines.” As a result, long-term aircraft-on-ground (AOG) events tied to engine issues are widespread. She noted that securing shop slots abroad is a major bottleneck: “Getting slots in the engine shops is a real struggle, and you end up [parking] your aircraft for so long.”
Lead times for spares are severely extended due to Africa’s distance from OEM hubs. According to the report, it takes roughly 3–5 days, sometimes even longer, to get the spare in. Airlines routinely ask suppliers whether they maintain warehouses in Dubai—or ideally, within Africa—to shorten timelines. Luciyamoi emphasized the need for a centralized African hub: “We need a central place in Africa where the suppliers can set up, and we can get the spare in one day.”
Volatile Pricing and Counterfeit Risks
Volatile pricing compounds the challenge. The source states that Luciyamoi cited a recent CRJ-900 windshield procurement where one serial number received price quotes ranging in the thousands of dollars across more than 15 suppliers. African carriers are also increasingly targeted for bogus parts, as physical verification is often impossible. She explained: “Because you don’t have the luxury of actually going there to physically engage them in real time, you end up becoming a target of bogus parts.”
Additional structural barriers include visa denials for African airline executives traveling to Europe, the UK, and the U.S. on legitimate business—a recurring impediment to direct stakeholder engagement.
Customs, Visibility, and Operational Impact
Benson Ndirangu Kamau, head of technical materials management at Kenya Airways, underscored how delays compound at every step—from part identification to customs clearance. He noted that it takes some time before you can even start creating an order, and once sourced, a component will take, at minimum, three days to reach Africa—and up to two weeks in worst-case scenarios. These lags translate directly into grounded aircraft, contractual penalties, and escalating operational disruption.
Regional Lessons and Near-Term Pathways
While the African context remains acute, the panel pointed to Latin America as a pragmatic benchmark. Santiago Valencia, director of maintenance and supply chain at the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association, described regional adoption of
- Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA) parts
- Designated Engineering Representative (DER) repairs
- Used serviceable material (USM)
to offset OEM shortages and long lead times. He also highlighted a free-of-charge visibility platform developed with the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Source: aviationweek.com
Compiled from international media by the SCI.AI editorial team.
