Aircraft Line Maintenance Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Type (Transit Checks, and Routine Checks), By Aircraft Type (Commercial, Military), By Platform (Traditional Line Maintenance, Digital Line Maintenance), By Service (Engine and APU Service, Component Replacement and Rigging Services, Aircraft On Ground Service, and Others) and Regional Forecasts, 2022-2029

The global aircraft line maintenance market size was valued at USD 18.34 billion in 2021 and is projected to grow from USD 19.30 billion in 2022 to USD 28.73 billion by 2029, exhibiting a CAGR of 5.8% during the forecast period. The global COVID-19 pandemic has been unprecedented and staggering, with aircraft line maintenance witnessing a lower-than-anticipated demand across all regions compared to pre-pandemic levels. Based on our analysis, the global market exhibited a rise of 11.5% in 2020 as compared to 2019.   

Aircraft maintenance is classified into line and base maintenance. Whereas, base maintenance involves major activities and operations that require the aircraft to be taken into the hanger and is put out of service for longer periods.  Line maintenance activities are mostly carried out on the apron area or tarmac during normal turnaround time when passengers are boarding and the aircraft is on the ground (AOG). On the other hand, base maintenance are always scheduled for longer aircraft ground times, in the case of line maintenance may not be scheduled always, it may need to deal with unplanned issues during regular flight operations. In line maintenance, engineers are now equipped with smartphones and smart devices which helps them to understand the maintenance task with ease and mark it done with necessary documents within the specified time.

The market for line maintenance held a major share in the airline market. Line maintenance is a type of maintenance that is performed on every aerodrome and airport rise in airline fleet and increased demand of modern generation aircraft and engines are on of the major factor responsible for market growth. Moreover, taking passenger health safety and comfort into consideration the key players in the market are now providing sanitation solutions due to the ongoing pandemic situation. Thus higher growth numbers are projected during the aircraft line maintenance market forecast period. Developments in the MRO sector have had a vital impact on the market. For Instance,

• In February 2021 GMR group signed a Memorandum of Understanding (Mou) with Airbus which will help them explore opportunities across aviation services, including aircraft maintenance, components training, and digital and airport services.

COVID-19 IMPACT

COVID-19 Led to Deep Decline in Line Maintenance Services Due to Suspension of Passenger Air Travel Services

In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) worldwide declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic. Since then, daily life and businesses across the globe has changed. Air transport and aviation industry were severely affected due to the pandemic since the very beginning of the crisis started. In 2020, according to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) the airline faced approximately USD 371 billion loss in gross passenger operating revenues. Moreover, there was an overall reduction of air passengers (both international and domestic), ranging from 60% in 2020 compared to 2019. This overall reduction in airline business led to a deep decline in aircraft line maintenance services. The airline sector is expected to be smaller for years to come; it is projected that air traffic won’t return to the pre-pandemic level before 2024. The only hope that saved the line maintenance market was cargo and rescue flights operated amid pandemics. For Instance,

• During the pandemic, Nearly 39,200 special repatriation flights carried 5.4 million citizens home after international borders closed during the pandemic in March 2020.


• Moreover, Nearly 46,400 special cargo flights transported 1.5 million tons of cargo including, medical equipment and supplies to the rural areas in need during the height of the pandemic response.

LATEST TRENDS

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“Embracing Advanced Technologies in Aircraft Maintenance to Propel Market Growth”

The aviation industry is witnessing significant progress in developing advanced technologies and using them while performing various maintenance activities. Airlines, engine manufacturers, MRO service providers, and airlines are keen to invest in these types of advanced technologies to facilitate their maintenance and production. For instance, the use of artificial intelligence in aircraft maintenance has led to a decline in errors in aircraft maintenance. AI can predict aircraft repair failure before any fault is identified. Key players, such as Ameco, STS Aviation Group, Inc., United Airlines, Inc., and others are making extensive use of AI AI-based systems and tools in line flight management. The growing implementation of intelligent AI-based solutions by companies will encourage market growth. In July 2021, GE Digital has entered into an agreement with Airbus and Delta TechOps in Digital Alliance for Fleet Health Monitoring and Diagnostics Solutions. GE Digital will bring its state-of-the-art forecasting software and in-depth engineering knowledge of aerospace systems integrated with Airbus cloud-based data platform and Delta-based performance and maintenance models. Together these companies will provide cost savings, network efficiency and increased shipping availability to 140 commercial airlines worldwide working with Skywise Core.

DRIVING FACTORS

“Increase in Passenger Air Traffic to Boost The Market Growth”

The increase in passenger loads worldwide is one of the biggest opportunities for airline service providers and aircraft manufacturers. The concept of low-cost carriers and budget airlines is one of the major factors responsible for the expansion of this market. Budget airlines offer fares to passengers at an affordable rate which has led to an increase in air traffic worldwide. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), China will replace the U.S. as the largest passenger traffic worldwide by the end of 2024. China is expected to record additional 817 million passengers, which leads to a total of 1.3 billion air passengers. This will facilitate the aircraft line maintenance market growth during the forecast period. For Instance,

• According to ICAO's preliminary compilation, 100,000 flights take off and land every day all over the globe. For Instance, the average length of a flight is two hours; that would mean that six million people fly somewhere every day. That's nearly 0.1% of the entire world's population.

“Subcontracting of Line Maintenance Services and operations to Fuel MarketGrowth”

 Airline operators across the globe are growing at a tremendous rate, which has led to an increase in costs for aircraft maintenance & repair, and MRO industry. Due to strong competition, sub-Contracting maintenance services has become a better option for many airlines. This new trend of sub-contracting provides the airline a window of cost reduction in terms of labor charges and maintenance cost. When airlines sub-contract, they are able to access additional resources in and parts from various different repair organizations around the world, which not only saves time but also improves operational efficiency.

RESTRAINING FACTORS

“Delays in Aircraft Deliveries to Hinder Market Growth”

The backlog orders with aircraft manufacturers are among the major factors causing delays in the promised delivery of aircraft. Other than pending orders, the outbreak of coronavirus in early 2020 was a major obstacle for the entire aviation industry leading to huge losses, cancellation of orders, and delayed aircraft deliveries. As a result, the delivery of aircraft for commercial and airlines use in 2020 had a total of 723 aircraft, 42% less than 2019 and 55.3% less than 2018, as a reason the year 2020 marked the second consecutive year that witnessed decline in aircraft deliveries.

• In April 2020, Airbus SE announced that have received 16 cancellations for the A220 series due to airliners being engaged in trimming down their fleet and staff cuts amid the COVID-19 pandemic.


• In December 2020, the major OEM in the market, Embraer announced that its company commercial segment named, Embraer Commercial Aviation, witnessed a 75% reduction in aircraft deliveries during the first half of the year 2020 due to pandemic  as compared to the same period last year.

SEGMENTATION

By Type Analysis

Routine Checks Segment to Dominate the Global Market

Based on type, the market is segmented into transit checks and routine checks. The routine check segment is expected to grow at a higher CAGR than the transit check segmenting in forthcoming years.

Routine checks mainly include service checks, night inspections, pre-flight inspections, post-flight inspections, and weekly inspections. The aircraft is required to change oil or liquids, such as hydraulic fluid, engine oil, start oil, and generator drive fluid every after 155 hours of flight time. Due to an increase in passenger load, air traffic, and more flight routes the demand for aircraft is and will eventually lead to demand for routine checks services during the forecast perod.

By Aircraft Type Analysis

Commercial Segment to be the Largest Segment In Base Year

Based on aircraft type, the market is segmented into commercial aircraft and military aircraft. The commercial aircraft segment to be the largest segment in the market throughout the forecast period. The commercial aircraft is further sub-divided into narrow body, wide body, regional jets, and freight. The narrow body aircraft segment to witness a higher growth number owing to increasing airline fleet around the world. Moreover, the increasing trend of budget airlines and low-cost carriers creates demand for commercial aircraft during the forecast perod.

By Platform Analysis

Digital Line Maintenance Segment to Dominate the Market In Forth Coming Years

Based on the platform, the market is bifurcated into traditional line maintenance and digital line maintenance. The Digital line maintenance is projected to be the fastest-growing segment in forthcoming years owing to the rise in technological advancements and product developments with increase in demand for Internet of Things (IoT) and AI-based solutions in the market. Moreover the increasing demand of cloud based platforms and software to store maintenance data including task cards, maintenance manuals and airworthiness certificates to boost the segment growth in the projection period. For Instance,

• In July 2021, Empower MX signed a five-year contract with CAS, which is a leading provider of MRO. Empower MX is a cloud-based software platform designed to accelerate digital discovery in Airline, MRO, and security centers. Its product suite helps engineering and compliance, heavy and line maintenance, shop and materials management

By Service Analysis

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Engine and APU Segment to Dominate the Market in 2021

Based on service, the market is segmented into engine and APU service, component replacement and rigging services, aircraft on ground (AOG) service, and others. In 2020, the engine and APU service segment were estimated to be the largest and the fastest-growing segment in the market, owing to increased demand for new-generation aircraft engines. Moreover, the induction of modern turbofan engines equipped with composite fan blades has led to more periodic line checks, which will eventually boost the segment growth during the forecast period. For instance,

• In March 2021, Rolls-Royce announced that they have officially started building the world’s largest aero-engine, UltraFan, which will help redefine sustainable air travel in the near future. The application of advanced ceramic matrix composite (CMC) components that operates more effectively and the engine will deliver a 25% fuel saving.

REGIONAL INSIGHTS

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North America dominated the market in 2021 with market size of USD 11.03 billion due to the presence of key players, such as Delta TechOps and delta airlines. Moreover, the growth of the market in the region is attributed to the increased fleet size and high defense budget in 2020; known airline operators, such as Delta and American Airlines, hold one of the largest fleets. In addition, the region has large numbers of airports and aerodromes that create the demand for aircraft line maintenance.

Europe aircraft line maintenance market is expected to grow steadily due to the presence of key players and OEMs such as Lufthansa Technik and the Nayak team. These companies are one of the top profiling companies in the region and have potential customers worldwide. There is a clear and urgent need to invest in the development of new technologies to restore the global leadership of the European aviation industry.

The Asia Pacific market is expected to record significant growth during the forecast period. Countries like China and Japan are likely to continue to play a major role in the region. In addition, India, due to its rapid growth in the commercial aviation industry, the country is set to emerge as the fastest-growing aviation market at the same time. India is one of the fastest-growing aviation industries due to the presence of Indigo airlines. The inter-globe aviation company, Indigo, is one of the key customers of the Airbus 320 and ATR 72 family. Thus higher growth numbers are anticipated during the projection years.

The Rest of the world includes the Middle East and Latin America. The Middle East market is anticipated to witness significant growth during the market during projection period. This growth is due to the rising fleet size in the commercial aviation sector. The Middle East region consists of potential customers, like namely, Air Arabia, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Fly Dubai, and many more emerging airlines looking forward to investing in commercial aircraft line maintenance services.

KEY INDUSTRY PLAYERS

Technologically Advanced Aircraft Line Maintenance Solutions to Boost the Market

The competitive landscape of the aircraft line maintenance system market represents the dominance of key players, including United Airlines, Inc., ANA Line Maintenance Technics Co., Ltd., BCT Aviation Maintenance Ltd and others. These companies focusing on designing and developing advanced digital and more efficient software repair solutions. Moreover, these companies are expanding their geographic reach in Asian countries in the near future.

LIST OF KEY COMPANIES PROFILED:

• ANA Line Maintenance Technics Co., Ltd. (Japan)


• Ameco (China)


• BCT Aviation Maintenance Ltd ( U.K.)


• Monarch Aircraft Engineering Ltd (Germany)


• STS Aviation Group, Inc. (U.S.)


• United Airlines, Inc. ( U.S)


• Nayak Aero (Germany)


• Delta TechOps ( U.S.)


• Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Limited (China)

KEY INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS:

• In November 2021, Slovenia's aircraft maintenance company Adria Tehnika announced that it had signed a new five year agreement with EasyJet a low-cost air carrier. The contract will cover the technical maintenance requirements of EasyJet’s aircraft at Ljubljana Airport, covering airframe and component maintenance, and line maintenance.


• In November 2021, National Aviation Services (NAS) had announced that they have partnered with Global Jet Technic (GJT) to offer line maintenance services to airlines at the two international airports in Dubai and Sharjah. As per the partnership agreement, NAS will provide comprehensive line maintenance services according to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification.

REPORT COVERAGE

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The global aircraft line maintenance market research report provides detailed market analysis and focuses on key factors, such as major companies, product types, and leading product applications. Apart from this, the report provides details about research methodology, and market trends and highlights important sector developments. In addition to the above, the report covers detailed primary research and secondary research, and a number of factors that have contributed to market growth in recent years.

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