As travel springs back and China begins dismantling the last remaining Covid-19 curbs, one stark truth is beginning to emerge – the world is running desperately short of planes, Straits Times reports. With carriers from United Airlines Holdings to Air India placing, or looking to place, jet orders that number in the hundreds, Boeing and Airbus are crowing variously about blockbuster deals.

But supply chain constraints mean those planes would not be delivered until possibly years down the track, with Jefferies investment bank estimating that there is an order backlog of 12,720 aircraft currently.

All that means the sky-high airfares that people have complained bitterly about over the past few months are here to stay, and things could get worse before they get better.

“People got used to lower fares during the pandemic and China’s reopening will make it worse,” Mr Ajay Awtaney, the founder of frequent flyer website LiveFromALounge.com, said. “It’s not just a shortage of planes but also other factors like oil prices.” Read more: Straits Times