The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and McKinsey & Company published a study of profitability trends across the aviation value chain showing that profitability varies widely by sector. The study also shows that in aggregate, airlines underperform on the financial return that an investor would normally expect.  While there is no clear path to rapidly re-balance the value chain, the study concludes that there are some key areas—including decarbonization and data-sharing—where working together and burden-sharing will mutually benefit all value chain participants. Highlights from the Understanding the Pandemic’s impact on the Aviation Value Chain study (pdf) include: 1. Capital Destruction: 2. Value Creation: 3. Pandemic Changes.

IATA-McKinsey Study Shows Imbalanced Aviation Value Chain, December 6, 2022, www.iata.org