The aircraft MRO market was valued at US$ 91,158.12 million in 2022 and is projected to reach US$ 134,072.28 million by 2030; it is expected to register a CAGR of 4.9% during 2022–2030.
Growing Integration of Digital Technology in Aircraft MRO Market
Considering the growing competition worldwide, the implementation of digital technologies is a necessary step toward the growth of MRO companies; this helps them create continuous data flow through various levels of the supply chain, further streamlining the communication between the stakeholders and accelerating innovation in various operations. The digital revolution in the aviation industry significantly impacts all areas of the supply chain of the aviation industry, including aircraft operations, air traffic management, and aircraft and component manufacturing and servicing. The data-driven technologies such as data analytics—which help in tracking aircraft MRO activities in real-time—would also optimize the air travel experience of crew and passengers. Other advanced technologies such as AI and machine learning facilitate the airline crew and management to understand the airworthiness of the aircraft. For instance, in March 2020, the US Air Force's Air Education and Training Command (AETC) started developing a new competency-based virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) training solution for aircraft maintenance.
Also, the MRO service providers incorporate AI technologies to boost their procedures by easily and efficiently conducting visual checks and understanding the degree of maintenance and repairs required on the aircraft. Thus, the increasing integration of digital technologies such as AI and machine learning is driving the aircraft MRO market growth.
The global aircraft MRO market has been segmented based on component, aircraft component, and end-user. Based on component, the market has been segmented into engine MRO, avionics MRO, airframe MRO, cabin MRO, landing gear MRO, and others. By aircraft component, the market has been bifurcated into fixed-wing aircraft and rotary-wing aircraft. Further, based on end-user, it has been categorized into commercial and military. The global aircraft MRO market has also been analyzed on the basis of five major regions: North America, Europe, APAC, the MEA, and SAM.
The US is among the leading countries in the global aviation sector, with a significantly higher number of passengers, aircraft fleet, and investment toward the development of the sector. The US aircraft MRO market share has been experiencing sluggish growth for the past few years due to higher labor costs, which resulted in the outsourcing of most of the airplanes for heavy checks. The airlines in the country experience a significantly higher density of air traveling passengers, owing to which the flying hours of each aircraft are higher and consequently demand frequent aircraft maintenance. The presence of numerous independent MRO service providers has enabled airlines to opt for frequent A-checks, B-checks, and C-checks in the country. This factor has catalyzed the growth of the aircraft MRO market share of the country. Moreover, the US Department of Defense (US DoD) continuously indulges itself in procuring newer aircraft fleet; however, the existing aircraft fleet is significantly higher than other countries across the world. For instance, in January 2023, SupplyCore won a contract of US$ 375 million from Defense Logistics Agency for the maintenance, repair, and operation of US military facilities. The significant defense budget and expenditure from the US DoD allow the forces to opt for frequent MRO activities of the aircraft fleet. This facilitates the forces to be mission-ready. Thus, the continuity in spending higher amounts from US DoD plays a crucial role in the aircraft MRO market growth.
AAR, Barnes Group Inc, Collins Aerospace, Delta TechOps, FLTechnics, UAB, GE Aviation, Lufthansa Technik, Rolls-Royce plc, Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd, and Turkish Technic Inc are among the key aircraft MRO market players profiled during this study. In addition, several other important aircraft MRO market players have been studied and analyzed during the study to get a holistic view of the aircraft MRO market and its ecosystem.