Scott Kirby, CEO of United Airlines' US Megacare, laments the immense damage the supply chain challenge has inflicted on the aviation industry as a whole, stressing that he doesn't know any industry that has as large a supply chain challenges as aviation coming out of the pandemic.
He further said many workers have retired and that it will take time for the entire aviation supply chain to recover completely.
Scott Kirby
This highlights the growing influence of African airlines with the launch of flight services to Dakar in Senegal's penultimate week.
The airline is the largest US operator connecting Africa to the world as it plans to open more routes to the continent, as it operates in South Africa, South Africa, Johannesburg, Morocco, Lagos, Accra, Ghana and recently in Dakar, Senegal.
Kirby said the airline is the largest US airline currently flying to Africa.
He said, “We're flying to many destinations. We're growing and planning on growing and adding cities. We're excited about Africa. We'd be even bigger today, but Boeing is a bit late for aircraft delivery.
Speaking to New York Aviation Metric, Kirby said in the announcement of a new premium cabin called United Polaris Studios, which will provide premium travelers with a B787-9 aircraft with a new travel experience, that carriers will not stop investing heavily in product upgrades to meet customer demand.
He revealed that the company invests more than $150 million in food annually across the airline.
“Food is a critical part of most people's journeys and it's a place we knew we could do better, so it's progressive to what we're spending. So we start it. It's not just the food, but the plates they come in. We're in your meal, if you want to liven up your meal, it's very unique. Our goal is to invest in what our customers want to buy.”
The airline's chief added, “We are an important link, especially between Newark and Washington, DC, it's not just commercial air services. It's about connecting people and uniting the world, and those links are important to the future of Africa. One of the larger US airlines will come.”
“We will eventually replace the entire fleet. It will be free. Today it will be free. It will not be free today. Because the bandwidth is not enough. Make it free.
“You need to have enough bandwidth to make it work. Put on Starlink and we get it done as fast as possible. They're way faster than any other vendor we've ever dealt with or the other partners we've dealt with.
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