Air Transport MRO Market Opportunities and Strategies to 2033

This report describes and explains the air transport MRO market and covers 2018-2023, termed the historic period, and 2023-2028, 2033F termed the forecast period. The report evaluates the market across each region and for the major economies within each region.

The global air transport MRO market reached a value of nearly $82.2 billion in 2023, having grown at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.49% since 2018. The market is expected to grow from $82.2 billion in 2023 to $104.3 billion in 2028 at a rate of 4.90%. The market is then expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.40% from 2028 and reach $135.7 billion in 2033.

Growth in the historic period resulted from the increased air travel, strong economic growth in emerging markets, increasing commercial aircraft fleets, favorable government support and aging aircraft fleet. Factors that negatively affected growth in the historic period include shortage of skilled work force and geopolitical tensions.

Going forward, the growing tourism industry, rapid urbanization and increasing military spending will drive the market. Factors that could hinder the growth of the air transport MRO market in the future include stringent regulations.

The air transport MRO market is segmented by type into engine, line, airframes, and other types. The engine market was the largest segment of the air transport MRO market segmented by type, accounting for 45.66% or $37.5 billion of the total in 2023. Going forward, the other types segment is expected to be the fastest-growing segment in the air transport MRO market segmented by type, at a CAGR of 5.47% during 2023-2028.

The air transport MRO market is segmented by aircraft type into narrow-body aircraft, wide-body aircraft, regional jet, turbo prop, and other aircraft types. The narrow-body aircraft market was the largest segment of the air transport MRO market segmented by aircraft type, accounting for 47.76% or $39.2 billion of the total in 2023. Going forward, the wide-body aircraft segment is expected to be the fastest-growing segment in the air transport MRO market segmented by aircraft type, at a CAGR of 5.49% during 2023-2028.

The air transport MRO market is segmented by application into civil air transport MRO and military air transport MRO. The civil air transport MRO market was the largest segment of the air transport MRO market segmented by application, accounting for 60.88% or $50 billion of the total in 2023. Going forward, the civil air transport MRO segment is expected to be the fastest-growing segment in the air transport MRO market segmented by application, at a CAGR of 5.23% during 2023-2028.

The air transport MRO market is segmented by service into heavy maintenance inspection, engine service check, component maintenance, line maintenance, avionic standardization, and aircraft conversions. The engine service check market was the largest segment of the air transport MRO market segmented by service, accounting for 43.72% or $35.9 billion of the total in 2023. Going forward, the component maintenance segment is expected to be the fastest-growing segment in the air transport MRO market segmented by service, at a CAGR of 5.70% during 2023-2028.

Asia-Pacific was the largest region in the air transport MRO market, accounting for 33.95% or $27.9 billion of the total in 2023. It was followed by North America, Western Europe and then the other regions. Going forward, the fastest-growing regions in the air transport MRO market will be Asia-Pacific and Africa, where growth will be at CAGRs of 6.68% and 6.27% respectively. These will be followed by the Middle East and South America, where the markets are expected to grow at CAGRs of 5.98% and 5.22% respectively.

The global air transport MRO market is highly concentrated, with large players operating in the market. The top ten competitors in the market made up to 67.48% of the total market in 2023. Raytheon Technologies Company was the largest competitor with a 17.82% share of the market, followed by the Safran S.A. with 11.98%, Lufthansa Technik AG with 8.67%, HAECO Group (Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Limited) with 6.45%, AFI KLM E&M (Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance) with 5.62%, MTU Aero Engines AG with 5.60%, StandardAero Inc. with 5.55%, The Boeing Company with 2.33%, General Electronic Company with 1.93% and Honeywell International Inc. with 1.52%.

The top opportunities in the air transport MRO market segmented by type will arise in the engine segment, which will gain $10.4 billion of global annual sales by 2028. The top opportunities in the air transport MRO market segmented by aircraft type will arise in the narrow-body aircraft segment, which will gain $10.9 billion of global annual sales by 2028. The top opportunities in the air transport MRO market segmented by aircraft type will arise in the civil air transport MRO segment, which will gain $14.5 billion of global annual sales by 2028. The top opportunities in the air transport MRO market segmented by service will arise in the engine service check segment, which will gain $10.2 billion of global annual sales by 2028. The air transport MRO market size will gain the most in China at $5.2 billion.

Market-trend-based strategies for the air transport MRO market include focus on developing collaborative MRO solutions to enhance efficiencies, expanding businesses with new business units to strengthen position in the market, strategic partnerships and collaborations to expand market share and focus on developing innovative solutions, such as technology platforms, to meet larger customer bases, more sales and increase revenue.

Player-adopted strategies in the air transport MRO market include focus on enhancing operational capabilities through strategic partnerships, enhancing geographical footprint through business expansions, expanding operational capabilities through new growth programs, strategic acquisitions to develop business expertise and enhancing business operations through strategic partnerships.

To take advantage of the opportunities, the analyst recommends the air transport MRO companies to focus on collaborative MRO solutions, focus on expanding business units, focus on technological integration, focus on innovative solutions, focus on engine market segment, focus on wide-body aircraft segment, expand in emerging markets, continue to focus on developed markets, focus on strategic partnerships to expand distribution channels, provide competitively priced offerings, participate in trade shows and events, continue to use B2B promotions and focus on targeting end-users in civil air transport MRO.