Jet-engine makers face a long recovery from the pandemic

THE ABSENCEGE of vapour trails in a clear sky is an obvious sign that commercial aviation has been hit hard by covid-19. The upshot for the makers of the jet engines that create those ephemeral streaks—fewer planes sold, fewer flying hours and older aircraft retiring early as fleets are pruned—is a triple blow for an industry that mostly profits by keeping them in the air for years after they are sold.The immediate impact for the business, which is dominated by a handful of manufacturers, was on full display on March 11th. Rolls-Royce, a British company that competes with the aviation division of America’s General Electric () to power long-haul wide-body jets, published grim results for 2020. The hit to commercial aerospace, source of half its revenues in 2019, led to an operating loss of £2bn ($2.8bn). It sold just 264 large engines, down from 510 the year before.