(Bloomberg) -- Airbus SE is concerned about reliability and spare-part availability for new-generation engines that power aircraft like the A320neo family, potentially adding another wrinkle for airlines ramping up operations just as component shortages begin to ease. 

Engine makers don’t just need to deliver to airplane manufacturers, they must also support engines already in service, Airbus Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury, the chief executive officer of Airbus said. 

“There is a gap in capacity to support both the in-service fleets and the OEMs,” said Faury, said in an interview at the company’s annual earnings press conference in Toulouse. “That was really part of the problem we had last year and we will be facing again this year.”

Engine makers are struggling with balancing supplies of new engines to planemakers as well as spare units to airlines for their existing fleets. This month, Spirit Airlines Inc. said it would scale back plans to ramp up capacity this summer as issues with its Pratt & Whitney geared-turbofan engines forced it to stand down some of its fleet. India’s largest carrier, Indigo, said that it was seeking compensation from original equipment manufacturers for aircraft that have been grounded due to supply-chain disruptions.

Faury said that some engines had “disappointing durability in certain conditions,” while maintenance and repair capacity that had been reduced during Covid had still not returned to pre-pandemic levels.

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