'I think in this dislocated system that cancellations are quite possible.'
People are being warned about flight cancellations this summer after a safety crisis at Boeing has left airlines short of available planes.
European airlines are likely to slim down their schedules in the coming months because of the problem, according to Avia Solutions, the world’s largest aircraft leasing company.
Boeing has been plagued by issues over the last few months including a door plug that blew out of a 737 Max on an Alaska Airlines flight in January.
The cancellations stem from a slowdown in deliveries across the airline sector in the wake of Boeing’s mid-air blowout, as the safety concerns have caused manufacturing delays.
Gediminas Ziemelis, chairman of Avia, told The Telegraph: ‘Airlines are desperate for aircraft because of the production problems but the well is dry.
‘I think in this dislocated system that cancellations are quite possible.’
There is likely to be an impact on demand until 2026, Mr Ziemelis confirmed.
He also said the airline industry is facing a post-pandemic ‘super-demand’, something not experienced since 9/11.
Mr Ziemelis believes some carriers will fail to secure enough planes to maintain some routes despite Avia expecting to lease 80% of 212 aircraft to airlines in Europe.
Airlines have also been impacted by manufacturer Pratt & Whitney recalling hundreds of engines for Airbus short-haul planes which could have a knock on effect this summer.
Carriers are now racing to bring in emergency capacity by relying on the wet-lease sector – which provides aircrafts and crew for periods as short as a few months.
Wizz Air has already agreed to take seven jets after grounding 45, while Lufthansa and British Airways have agreed to lease some aircraft.
Turkish Airlines will be the biggest single customer leasing more than 30 planes.
On the Alaska Airlines flight, a man was almost sucked out of a Boeing 737 Max 9 jet in January after the door plug blew out mid-air.
The man was saved by his seatbelt as air rushed out of the hole, sucking away his iPhone and tearing off his shoes and socks.
The 737 Max is no stranger to controversy after Boeing was forced to ground 171 of its 218 737 Max 9 jets following the incident on Alaska Airlines.
Just last week a Boeing 767 cargo plane narrowly avoided a crash landing after its front landing gear failed.
The plane, belonging to the American postal company Fedex, was on a flight from Paris to Istanbul at around 7.55am this morning.
Turkey’s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said the pilot ‘notified Istanbul Airport air traffic control (ATC) that the front landing gear could not deploy’.
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