Airlines is one of the most affected industries during the time of the pandemic. In the past two years, Indian Airlines incurred a loss of 8 billion dollar's. On one hand, the number of travelers are still more than the pre-covid level, on the other side the debts of the airlines are piling up day by day. The airline's sector in total lost around 39000 jobs during the pandemic. Even though airline companies are struggling to survive, Rakesh Jhunjhunwala plans to invest in $35 million.
Since 2020
- Indigo combined loss for six quarters is 10,000 Crore
- GoAir Plans to revive its loss by going through IPO
- SpiceJet posts a loss of 1000 Crore
Let us know the cost structure of the airlines business:-
Airlines have a very high fixed cost and variable cost.
1. Fixed cost around 40%-50%
Aircraft leases expenses(10%-16%)
Maintenance(8%-12%)
Staff cost(12%-18%)
2. Variable cost around 30%-40%
Aircraft fuel expenses around 36%. Air fuel costs nearly 1/3 of the total fee.
3. Operating expenses around 25%
Why airline industry is not lucrative?
1. Less Operational Margin: Profit margins are very low and can't even meet operational expenses.
2. Lack of Pricing advantage:- As there are a lot of LCC, they cannot even increase the fare as this may lead to less occupancy . Many low-cost carriers (LCCs) have entered the Indian air travel market and stimulated traffic through their low-cost business models. By using price stimulation as a core business strategy, LCCs have been able to cater to the vast appetite for air travel by India’s middle-class segment.
3. High debts: First of all overall profit earned is less, airlines need to pay this profit as interest for the loan taken from banks. Moreover, Airlines take huge loans to expand.
Why RJ wants to enter Airlines Business?
RJ named Akasa Airline which will be an ultra-low-cost carrier. The price of the airlines is cheaper than low-cost airlines like SpiceJet.
RJ planned to implement strategies deployed by Ryan Airlines and Southwest Airlines.
Aditya Ghosh, President of Indigo Airlines in 2018 joined Akasa Airlines and holds a 10% stake in Akasa.
How RJ able to buy at low cost 50 % discount from Boeing?
There are only two manufacturers: Boeing & Airbus
- In 2021, Boeing is in big trouble as the Boeing 737max model has been banned for 2 years. Two Boeing 737max crashed within 5 months which lead to the death of 346 people.
- After this news, many airlines canceled orders to Boeing. The orders of Boeing 737 max fell from 837 in 2018 to 69 in 2019 which lead to a profit of 10.4 billion dollars company to a loss of 636 million dollars. The company has a loss of $12 billion in 2020 alone.