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Aviation
■ Aging fleet upkeep. Operators are spending billions to extend the lives of their older, fuel-guzzling aircraft past their planned retirement dates, regardless of the significant MRO services and parts expenses incurred
■ Parts stockpiling. With unpredictable supply chains, carriers have locked up billions of dollars in capital just to grow their physical spare-parts hoards. Having to secure their own USM literally adds insult to injury with the need to grow their MRO services too
The engine scarcity issue may take many years to fully resolve. The woes of the aircraft and engine OEMs have created a bounty for many of the large global and well-operated middle-market aviation aftermarket players to ease this critical bottleneck.
The solution
MROs are thriving but their capacity is reaching its limits, with every grounded aircraft representing lost revenue, reduced schedule flexibility, increased leasing expenses, and higher operating costs. Global MRO demand amounted to $ 136 billion in 2025. At the end of the decade, it is expected to reach about $ 193 billion, almost double the amount in 2019.
MRO providers are one of the industry’ s most valuable resources, but they face their own challenges:
■ Labor shortages. With many experienced technicians retiring during the pandemic, the industry faces a skills gap that remains difficult to fill
■ Parts availability. Many maintenance facilities often have aircraft and engines ready for work but lack the components to complete repairs
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