Third party work is driving Kalitta Air MRO expansion

As the average age of the global commercial fleet continues to get younger, is the corresponding aftermarket becoming more mature? In the last three years, the average aircraft age has decreased to 11.9 from 12.2 years, according to Aviation Week data. While that is not a precipitous drop, it is significant in that it corresponds to younger aircraft and engines being torn apart because their values are higher individually. (Don't miss the AW&ST package on life cycles in this issue.)

The 2013 winners of Aviation Week's MRO of the Year awards exemplify excellence

Brussels Who Sets The Rules?

Line maintenance and ground support equipment appear to be two of the industry sectors with an outsourcing growth trend, from specialized tools to inflight entertainment systems (IFE). While line maintenance was once focused purely on safety, it now encompasses inflight entertainment, with special cabin teams tasked with ensuring airlines' marketing promises and customers' expectations are met.

Luxembourg Airport-based PowerJet Aviation specializes in aircraft sales and recycling, spare parts and airline consulting. Its disassembly and recycling facility is located at Chateauroux Airport, France. Aviation Week Contributing Editor Heather Baldwin spoke with CEO Karl Rickard, who is involved in the overhauled engine and engine parts business daily, to understand the market for engines coming off parked aircraft. Aviation Week: Which engine parts are moving most quickly out of the shop today after an engine is dismantled?

Airlines can save significantly by mining the parts aftermarket, and the avenues that beget those savings just keep getting wider.

Industry predictions call for 12,000 aircraft to be replaced in the global fleet over the next 20 years as they reach the end of their service lives. As airlines move to more fuel-efficient, quieter and more environmentally sensitive aircraft, older ones are shuffling downstream, often to be parked or dismantled. This may be happening faster than in the past, since operators appear to be deciding more quickly to disassemble, taking advantage of the spare parts market for early end-of-life aircraft and engine models.