Routes Americas Report: What Airlines Were Saying

Aircraft delivery delays, high taxes on flight tickets–especially in Latin America and the Caribbean—and rising costs for airlines were key discussion points at the 2025 Routes Americas conference in Nassau, Bahamas.

Airline executives spoke repeatedly of the implications of delayed aircraft and engine deliveries, which force adjustments to network planning. Carriers are increasingly developing schedules under the assumption aircraft will not be delivered on time. Air Canada, for example, is hopeful of receiving the first of 30 Airbus A321XLRs it has on order in the 2025 fourth quarter but is not counting on it.

Air Canada VP network planning and scheduling Alexandre Lefevre said his “confidence level is limited” regarding aircraft delivery dates. “We have been waiting for the XLR for quite a long time and we’re still waiting,” he said. “So, our planning process includes more buffer [than in the past]. If the manufacturer tells us the aircraft will be here in October … I usually plan for the following March.”

Air Canada was originally supposed to receive its first A321XLR in the 2024 first quarter.

Lefevre noted delivery delays are hardly exclusive to Airbus. “It’s across the whole industry,” he said. “It’s not only the manufacturers, it’s the suppliers, it’s the engine manufacturers. Everybody’s struggling now.”

JetSMART, the Indigo Partners-backed LCC based in Chile with subsidiaries in Argentina, Colombia and Peru, is working closely with Airbus regarding the delivery schedule for 21 A321neos it is slated to receive, according to CCO Victor Mejia.