The Future of Aircraft Maintenance Amidst New Plane Shortages

There are some big challenges ahead for the aviation industry, and how it responds to them will have a major impact on its trajectory for the next decade. With passenger demand growing continuously across the globe, airlines are having difficulty keeping up due to delays sourcing new aircrafts because of continued supply chain disruption. This not only caps their ability to meet this growing passenger demand, but it also means older planes are flying for longer. And with rising labour costs and ever-evolving, complex safety requirements, the global aircraft maintenance industry will be under huge pressure to meet this new era of demand – so solutions like Opus are stepping in to ensure the industry stays resilient.

A Surge in Aircraft Maintenance is Coming.

Recent reports are predicting a six-year boom for global aircraft maintenance services. An article posted by Reuters covers aircraft manufacturer Embraer’s decision to open a new Pratt & Whitney repair hub in Brazil, forward planning for a rise in demand for engine maintenance. With airlines now forced to extend the service life of existing fleets, a strategic move like this for Embraer should best position them for capitalising on the increased need for repairs, inspections, and upgrades.

As shared in another Reuters article, Malaysia’s Asia Digital Engineering (ADE) has also recognised this growing demand. Airlines find it challenging to acquire new planes fast enough to keep pace with rising passenger numbers. As a result, older aircraft are taking on more flights, which makes regular, reliable maintenance more essential than ever.

The Two Risks Airlines are Facing

Ongoing supply chain disruptions are the leading cause of the current shortage of new aircraft. Manufacturers need to work on sourcing parts and materials, which has slowed the production of new planes. Furthermore, rising labour costs in maintenance services are pushing airlines to find more efficient ways to keep their older aircraft flying longer.

Now, the emphasis on extending the lifespan of ageing aircraft comes at a critical time for airlines. Airlines can’t afford to have planes grounded for extended periods waiting for maintenance or new parts, especially as the world recovers from the pandemic and travel demand skyrockets.

Safety and Maintenance: More Critical Than Ever

Aircraft safety has been heavily in the news recently and with more planes staying in service longer, safety standards are scrutinised more heavily. Aircraft maintenance and safety protocols are becoming increasingly stringent, as airlines cannot afford to risk operational failures. Maintaining a high level of safety is essential, which puts immense pressure on maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) companies to complete their work quickly and accurately. 

Given this rising demand for both speed and accuracy, smooth servicing turnaround times are not just important—they are vital to keeping global travel flowing safely.

Opus: Ready to Protect and Serve the Aviation Industry

In response to these evolving challenges, solutions like Opus can provide the aviation maintenance industry with much-needed readiness and efficiency. Opus gives enterprises in a wide range of sectors a turnkey self-service inventory supply solution that streamlines the fulfillment process, ensuring that the correct parts are ready and waiting for when they are needed the most.

Sellfware's COO, Mark Pettit said: 

Sellfware's Opus offering is well-positioned to help MRO teams meet these challenges head-on. By automating their inventory management and de-risking their supply chain, we can help the aviation industry to reduce labour costs and improve supply chain visibility. Opus ensures that maintenance operations remain smooth, timely, and cost-effective. As the aviation industry adapts to these evolving pressures, tools like Opus will be vital to keeping the skies safe and the planes flying.

MRO teams will see the Opus benefits in four ways: 

1. Real-time Inventory Management: Opus allows maintenance teams to automate the tracking of spare parts and supplies, ensuring they can quickly source and complete service and maintenance works without delays. This means less moving parts in the supply chain and more streamlined maintenance schedules, allowing airlines to minimise downtime and keep aircrafts flying safely.
2. Cost Control and Increased Labour Efficiency: As labour costs rise, companies need solutions that can automate and simplify manual tasks. By using Opus' autonomous features, MRO companies can reduce the burden on their workforce and instead focus on what's important, such as the critical, skilled maintenance tasks at hand. This helps to control labour costs whilst maintaining service level quality.
3. Supply Chain Resilience: Opus provides a way for enterprises to take control of their supply chain. By buying more and being able to stock replacement parts in larger quantities, maintenance teams can now be fed a constant supply of parts, mitigating their exposure to external sources of delays.
4. Faster Turnaround Times: In an industry where safety regulations are becoming stricter and planes are expected to stay in service for longer, the need for quicker maintenance turnaround times are crucial. Opus helps MRO teams complete maintenance works faster by ensuring the availability of all necessary components, improving the service efficiency and protecting against the risk of bottlenecks.

Speak to our team

The global aircraft maintenance industry is entering a period of significant growth as airlines grapple with the realities of new aircraft shortages. Our team of dedicated deployment architects are ready to create an implementation strategy for all sizes of aircraft maintenance enterprises. Start your enquiry with us today.

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References:

Embraer opens P&W repair hub as demand for engine maintenance rockets

Malaysia's ADE sees boom in aircraft repairs amid new plane shortages

Media:

https://mediacentre.britishairways.com/factsheet/details/16

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