Jetstar CEO apologises for April figures highlighting 40% flights delayed, 8% cancelled

Stephanie Tully, the CEO at Jetstar has issues another apology off the back of more poor numbers highlighting supply chain issues that are preventing the carrier from returning to pre COVID metrics.

I’d like to apologise to the customers we’ve let down,” Tully said at a press conference alongside Alan Joyce’s farewell to Qantas’ first 717.

We haven’t been up to scratch, and we admit that. We’re doing a lot of work to make it better. There’s been a lot of issues including some unique supply chain problems for Jetstar.”

Recent data unearthed by the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics show over 40 per cent of the airlines arrivals and departures were delayed in April, while 600 flights (nearly 8 per cent) were cancelled. 

Jetstar recently announced it had made changes to its check-in time in an effort to improve its on-time performance.

One of the key factors plaguing Jetstar is the limited access to exhaust auxiliary power units (APU) which are critical to powering an aircraft when power is down.

“In February, we had 3800 delay minutes associated with that part. There’s a shortage of parts and the repair shop was still getting going. Pre-COVID-19, that was about 380 minutes, which contributes to about 5 per cent or more of our on-time performance,” Tully said.

There has also been a worldwide shortage of aircraft, with the tow biggest manufacturers, Boeing and Airbus feeling the affects.

“We have to resolve the supply chain issues and the surprise associated with it; and we have to resolve it sort of once and for all,” chief executive, Boeing, Dave Calhoun, told an event in Doha.