A re-entry surge

Currently, it's not possible to predict when the large majority of the global fleet will begin to enter into service again. According to the New York Times, some countries are still imposing stricter travel restrictions, rather than easing them. It stands to reason that aircraft will continue to be grounded, many for an indefinite amount of time. It is difficult to say whether the number of grounded aircraft has plateaued, or if the cargo fleet will also be affected by the pandemic.

With the majority of the global fleet grounded, the obvious next step is to prepare for their eventual re-entry into service. However, it also begs the question to whether we should expect a surge in demand for maintenance parts needed for that process?

What precisely is needed?

Following up with our product manager Jesper Allenberg, we wanted to outline more specifically what operators are going to need to follow the proper procedures of aircraft storage. This could provide an overview of what specific parts could potentially become more in demand, and more and more aircraft are being grounded indefinitely.

"Whether an airline has an inhouse MRO or line-maintenance facilities, or if it is outsourced to an independent MRO, typically the process entails going through the aircraft manuals and various other documentation to build a material list. This will outline everything that is needed for the scope of work that will need to be performed on the aircraft when entering a parking or storage program, and subsequently before re-entry into service," he said.

"A lot of what is needed are consumable materials, like lubricants and oils, as well as expendable parts like O-rings, nuts, bolts, etc. Due to the expediency with which many aircraft are now being grounded, we've been compiling these parts to make it easier for operators."

It's anyone's guess whether the demand for re-entry into service maintenance parts will spike in the coming weeks and months. All of us in the aviation industry are patiently waiting to see how this global situation pans out – and when countries start lifting their travel bans.

However, as we are all in this together, and long-term aircraft storage is unfortunately inevitable for many airlines, we have been working on utilising our knowledge and our supply experience to provide an expedited process for procuring and securing access to the parts needed for storing an aircraft for the long term.

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With an influx of aircraft storage, will there be an increased strain on parts supply?