Global Aircraft Cabin Interior Composites Market Size, Share, Trend, Forecast, Competitive Analysis, and Growth Opportunity: 2023-2028

The aircraft cabin is one of the most discussed subjects in the airline industry today, as airlines’ requirements for aesthetically pleasing, compact, and innovative aircraft cabin interiors show no signs of abating. On one side, volatile crude oil prices severally plummet the overall margin of the airlines, whereas, on the other side, rapidly changing expectations of customers demand airlines keep upgrading aircraft interiors, which again adversely impacts the overall margin of airlines. Low-cost carriers are demanding an aircraft that has the maximum space for seating to generate more revenues per journey, whereas premium airlines targeting high-end customers would like to offer extraordinary passenger comfort to provide excellent customer delight. However, both types of carriers want to maintain value as well as generate maximum returns, thus, wanting a cabin interior that is as light as possible and occupies minimal space and energy.

The aircraft cabin interiors have witnessed an impactful, significant evolution over the past five decades in which composite materials have had a disruptive journey and played a pivotal role in upgrading the overall cabin interiors. All the major tier-II players are working closely with the aircraft OEMs to develop advanced lightweight interior systems that offer excellent aesthetics and aid carriers in improving the overall passenger experience. Composite materials are the perennial choice in fabricating structural parts of those systems, as the materials not only offer the advantages of being lightweight and having a high strength-to-weight ratio but also improve the overall cabin aesthetics. The modernized aircraft cabin interior design is rich in composites, from structural to semi-structural applications.

There are a series of directions in which the aircraft industry is moving today with the purpose of modernizing cabin interiors by satisfying five major criteria: aesthetics, lightweight, space optimization, hygiene, and privacy. Some of the most noticeable movements are the development of lightweight customized cabin solutions to improve the overall customer experience, the enlargement of overhead stowage bins to accommodate more luggage per stowage bin, the formation of maximum cabin space by making necessary changes in the design of galleys and lavatories to squeeze more seats on board (The Aft Lavatory galley Complex), and the development of compact seats to add more seats. Composite parts are an indispensable focus area for all the major tier players making cabin interior systems, such as lavatories and galleys, to make the system lightweight and aesthetically pleasing without sacrificing performance.

During the pandemic, the aircraft cabin interior composites market suffered a colossal decline of more than 40%. The pandemic has left a huge mark on the growth trajectory of the aircraft cabin interior composites market, from which the industry could not recover soon. Disruption in the supply chain, a decline in air passenger traffic, and a slash in production rates of key aircraft programs were some of the major impacts of the pandemic.

While the industry was expecting to bounce back from 2021 onwards, the temporary suspension of the B787 aircraft deliveries, the economic crisis, and the cancellation or postponement of the refurbishment orders of aircraft thrashed the industry’s hope for recovery. Therefore, the aircraft cabin interior composites market also suffered a hefty decline of over 20% in 2021. However, the industry has progressively started rebounding from 2022 onward, mainly led by the recovery in air passenger traffic.

Despite the market challenges, the aircraft interior composite market is expected to recover from the pandemic in the long term. The aircraft industry is already seeing signs of recovery as airlines rebuild their fleets and passengers return to air travel. The projected ramp-up in production rates of key aircraft programs, rising aircraft fleet size, the expected introduction of a new and fuel-efficient variant of existing aircraft programs, increasing penetration of composites in the aircraft industry, and the resumption of aircraft interior refurbishment orders by several airlines are the other factors that will boost the demand for aircraft cabin interior composites in the foreseeable future. Overall, the aircraft cabin interior composites market is likely to rebound at a promising CAGR of 11.1%, in the long run, to reach US$ 3.6 Billion in 2028.

Segment Analysis

Based on the aircraft type, the aircraft cabin interior composites market is segmented into narrow-body aircraft, wide-body aircraft, regional aircraft, and business jets. Narrow-body aircraft is expected to remain the leading demand generator in the market during the forecast period, driven by the increasing production rates of the B737Max and A320 families. Narrow-body aircraft are the most popular aircraft type in the world, accounting for over 60% of the global fleet. This is due to their lower operating costs and high usage in domestic travel. The B737 and A320 are the best-selling aircraft of Boeing and Airbus, respectively.

Based on the composites type, the market is segmented into glass fiber composites, carbon fiber composites, and others. Glass fiber composites are expected to remain dominant in the market during the forecast period. Glass fiber composites offer a wide array of advantages, including low cost, good product performance, and excellent corrosion resistance, over their rivals, including aluminum and other metals. Whereas, carbon fiber composites, another considerable segment, are likely to grow at the fastest pace in the market during the same period, driven by their advantages over glass fiber composites, including lighter in weight, higher strength-to-weight ratio, and excellent appearance.

Based on the sales channel type, the market is segmented into OE and aftermarket. OE is expected to showcase incredible leads in the market during the forecast period, driven by increasing demand for new aircraft across all regions to serve the rising air passenger traffic coupled with increasing production rates of key aircraft programs and the introduction of new as well as fuel-efficient variants of existing aircraft programs.

Based on the application type, the market is segmented into floor panels, galleys/galley inserts, lavatories, stowages, cabin linings, cargo liners, seats, ducts, and others. Cabin linings are expected to remain the dominant application type in the market during the forecast period, led by the wider surface area of cabin linings. Whereas, floor panels are expected to grow at the fastest rate in the market over the next five years. The floor panel is one of the most highly abused areas of an aircraft.

Based on the process type, the market is segmented into sandwich construction, compression molding, and others. Sandwich construction is expected to remain the most dominant process type in the market during the forecast period. It is considered an ideal process for producing flat composite panels for aircraft interiors as well as exteriors. Most of the composite parts for aircraft cabin interiors, such as lavatory and floor panels, are largely made through the sandwich construction process. Compression molding, injection molding, and plaster mandrel are the other major processes used to fabricate composite parts for aircraft cabin interiors. They also offer sizeable growth opportunities in the coming years.

In terms of regions, North America is expected to remain the largest market for aircraft cabin interior composites during the forecast period. The presence of a large number of aircraft OEMs in North America, such as Boeing and Bombardier, and tier players is the major factor behind the dominance of the region. Aircraft cabin interior composite manufacturers and suppliers work closely with them to address their emerging market requirements.

Asia-Pacific is likely to witness the fastest growth during the same period, driven by the increasing demand for commercial aircraft to support rising passenger traffic, the opening of assembly plants of Boeing and Airbus in China, upcoming indigenous commercial and regional aircraft (COMAC C919), and rising aircraft fleet size.

The aircraft cabin interior composites market is segmented into the following categories.

Aircraft Cabin Interior Composites Market, by Aircraft Type

• Narrow-Body Aircraft (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Wide-Body Aircraft (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Regional Aircraft (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Business Jet (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)

Aircraft Cabin Interior Composites Market, by Composites Type

• Glass Fiber Composites (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Carbon Fiber Composites (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Other Composites (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)

Aircraft Cabin Interior Composites Market, by Sales-Channel Type

• OE (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Aftermarket (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)

Aircraft Cabin Interior Composites Market, by Application Type

• Floor Panels (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Galleys/ Galley Inserts (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Lavatories (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Stowages (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Cabin Linings (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Cargo Liners (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Seats (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Ducts (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Others (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)

Aircraft Cabin Interior Composites Market, by Process Type

• Sandwich Construction (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Compression Molding (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Others (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)

Aircraft Cabin Interior Composites Market, by Region

• North America (Country Analysis: The USA, Canada, and Mexico)
• Europe (Country Analysis: Germany, France, The UK, Russia, and The Rest of Europe)
• Asia-Pacific (Country Analysis: Japan, China, India, and the Rest of Asia-Pacific)
• Rest of the World (Country Analysis: Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and Others)

Key Players

The market is fairly concentrated with the presence of several regional and global players. Most of the major players compete in some of the governing factors, including price, product offerings, regional presence, etc. The supply chain of this market comprises raw material suppliers, composite part fabricators, cabin interior manufacturers, OEMs, and airlines.

The following are the key players in the aircraft cabin interior composites market.

• Safran S.A.
• Collins Aerospace
• AVIC Cabin Systems Limited
• Diehl Stiftung & Co. KG
• Jamco Corporation
• EFW GmbH
• The Gill Corporation
• Boeing Encore Interiors, LLC
• Triumph Group, Inc.
• Euro-Composites Corporation

Research Methodology

This strategic assessment report provides a comprehensive analysis that reflects today’s aircraft cabin interior composites market realities and future market possibilities for the forecast period. The report segments and analyzes the market in the most detailed manner to provide a panoramic view of the market. The vital data/information provided in the report can play a crucial role for market participants as well as investors in the identification of the low-hanging fruits available in the market as well as to formulate growth strategies to expedite their growth process.

This report offers high-quality insights and is the outcome of a detailed research methodology comprising extensive secondary research, rigorous primary interviews with industry stakeholders, and validation and triangulation with an internal database and statistical tools. More than 1,000 authenticated secondary sources, such as company annual reports, fact books, press releases, journals, investor presentations, white papers, patents, and articles, have been leveraged to gather the data. The analyst conducted more than 15 detailed primary interviews with market players across the value chain in all four regions and industry experts to obtain both qualitative and quantitative insights.

Report Features

This report provides market intelligence in the most comprehensive way. The report structure has been kept such that it offers maximum business value. It provides critical insights into market dynamics and will enable strategic decision-making for existing market players as well as those willing to enter the market.

The following are the key features of the report:

• Market structure: Overview, industry life cycle analysis, supply chain analysis.
• Market environment analysis: Growth drivers and constraints, Porter’s five forces analysis, SWOT analysis.
• Market trend and forecast analysis.
• Market segment trend and forecast.
• Competitive landscape and dynamics: Market share, Product portfolio, New Product Launches, etc.
• COVID-19 impact and its recovery curve.
• Attractive market segments and associated growth opportunities.
• Emerging trends.
• Strategic growth opportunities for existing and new players.
• Key success factors.