Regional aviation has rebounded strongly since the Covid crisis, but supply-chain issues are hampering growth and will continue to do so for another year or two, speakers suggested during a recent Cirium webinar. "Recovery has been strong in 2025, and we've seen higher upswings, [but] whether that will continue in 2026 we will have to see," TrueNoord commercial chief Richard Jacobs said during Cirium's 'Regional aircraft: market dynamics in focus' webinar on 22 October. "Thus far, it's been very positive. With every aircraft – be it turboprop or large regional jet – offered for remarketing, we would've been able to place it three times over." Loganair fleet director Sylvain Gloux agrees that the market has been "recovering strongly", but notes that the recovery past 2019 levels could have been much stronger were it not for supply-chain issues. "What we've seen in the past year is a strong recovery in lease rates and values, but this is the result of limited capacity," says Gloux, although he adds that "we're now seeing some stability and we may be reaching a peak in terms of values and lease rates". The biggest issue for airlines, in his view, is a "lack of visibility" on aircraft delivery times, which makes it difficult to plan schedules with certainty. Gloux believes the supply-chain issues are stabilising rather than improving. "We see some stability going into 2026, but it will take a couple of years," he warns. There were differing views among the panellists on when supply issues for OEMs and MRO providers would be resolved. Jacobs paints the rosiest picture. By 2027, he asserts, "the worst will be behind us". Gloux says he is "less optimistic", believing that "in 2028, we will be in better shape as an industry" – a view shared by Alex Vathylakis, principal valuations analyst at Cirium Ascend Consultancy. The supply-chain challenges facing the regional aviation market are a "new reality" that will likely remain in place "for the coming years", says Vathylakis. A lack of regional aircraft replacement options is also making life difficult for operators in this space, he observes. For instance, the size of the Embraer 175 fleet in the US market has "increased strongly" over the last five or six years and this aircraft "continues to gain traction". However, this is "one of the signs there's a lack of new options", in Vathylakis's view. He notes that Embraer and ATR essentially have a monopoly in the turboprop and regional jet markets, with the ATR 72-600 "enjoying the [70-seat turboprop] market on its own" while a "lack of direct replacement options" in the 50-seat jet segment pushes operators towards larger regional aircraft which "might not work for everyone". Indeed, Gloux points out that 50-seaters "would be more suitable" for many of Loganair's routes, but such aircraft are "very difficult to find", and "the absence of replacement options in the near term is an issue". Vathylakis says "large turboprop deliveries are facing a new reality post-Covid", as an "ATR ramp-up is only expected next year" while large regional jet deliveries have "halved post-Covid". "Supply of ready-to-go turboprops remains tight with minimal availability from lessors," he adds. "It's a similar story with serviceable regional jets: supply is tight with no clear signs of improvement."

Swiss has taken the decision to ground all nine of its Airbus A220-100 aircraft for 18 months and use the engines to support its A220-300 fleet. The decision was prompted by ongoing maintenance and supply issues with the Pratt & Whitney GTF engines that power the aircraft. "The ongoing global shortage of Pratt & Whitney engines and spare parts has led to the temporary grounding of several Airbus short-haul aircraft worldwide," says Swiss, adding that "there is currently no sign of the situation easing" and "forecasts suggest that it may further intensify in 2026". The airline says that to "enhance planning reliability", it has decided to "temporarily withdraw all nine of our smaller Airbus A220-100 aircraft from service for approximately 18 months". The 18 PW1500 engines from the -100s will be used as spare engines for the -300 fleet, Swiss confirms. "This process will begin in November and is expected to be completed by summer 2026, with detailed planning currently underway," says Swiss, noting that the measure will not reduce the size of its active fleet because it enables the carrier to bring grounded A220-300s back into service. "These aircraft offer greater capacity and efficiency compared to the A220-100." Four of Swiss's A220-100s are already listed as being in storage, Cirium fleets data shows. Four of the Lufthansa subsidiary's A220-300s are listed as being in storage.

ANA Group is discontinuing its AirJapan brand to focus on a dual-brand strategy focused on the airline names ANA and Peach. AirJapan was launched as a medium-haul, low-cost subsidiary of ANA in February 2024, serving destinations including Bangkok, Seoul and Singapore from Tokyo Narita. Fleets data shows that AirJapan operates two Boeing 787-8s. It was set to take delivery of a third 787 and boost Tokyo-Singapore frequencies in November. However, its parent company says it has decided to suspend the AirJapan brand and integrate its aircraft and staff into the wider ANA brand, as a response to ongoing aircraft delivery delays and the "aircraft-on-ground situation" affecting ANA's 787s. "To optimize the allocation of the group's resources, ANA Group decided to suspend the AirJapan brand. Its aircraft and human resources will be consolidated into the ANA brand's operations to expand its international business," says ANA. "Furthermore, AirJapan – the operating company that has managed flights for both the ANA and AirJapan brands – will continue to contribute to ANA Group's international business by operating ANA-brand international flights, leveraging its high standard of operational quality." The changes will take place at the end of March 2026.