What Does Aircraft MRO Entail?

According to the aviation consultancy Oliver Wyman, MRO spending is expected to hit more than $115 billion in just 10 years—up from $81.9 billion in 2019. Meanwhile, the MRO-Network pegs North American aftermarket MRO spending at a cool $187.6 billion between now and 2028. The FAA reports that the nation’s Top 10 passenger airlines boosted outsourced MRO spending by 1% in 2017, meaning it now accounts for nearly half of all MRO spending.

It’s undeniable that airlines continue to prefer working with an aircraft MRO provider over spending the tremendous time and capital required to develop robust maintenance, repair, and overhaul capabilities in-house. But although spending is consistently increasing, the role of MRO itself, and the services sought most by commercial airlines, are clearly evolving right alongside the new-generation aircraft driving the industry’s fleet expansion.

Here’s a glimpse into what aircraft MRO entails in 2019, and why the commercial aviation industry will continue to benefit significantly from the integration of once-siloed MRO capabilities in the years to come.

The Value of an Integrated Approach to Aircraft MRO

The MRO of the past often entailed strategies focused on the maintenance, repair, and overhaul of a single part of an aircraft. In a technology-driven world where blockchain, artificial intelligence, data analytics, and automation are becoming fixtures in aircraft MRO, today’s most sought-after providers take a full-picture approach: leveraging data and integration to optimize an aircraft, nose to tail, across its entire life cycle.

Just as all the parts of an aircraft must work together to keep it flying high and avoiding costly downtime, an integrated aircraft MRO strategy coordinates all aspects of maintenance, repair, and overhaul—from parts sales and inspection to component and structural capabilities—to deliver the highest reliability for the lowest possible cost at all stages of an aircraft’s life. Through this future-looking integrated solutions approach, airlines improve efficiency, streamline their supply chain, and maximize time in the air during their fleet’s service life. Once their aircraft transition into retirement, an integrated MRO strategy ensures their assets are in top shape and positioned to garner maximum value in today’s aviation aftermarket.

Key Components of an Integrated Aircraft MRO Strategy

What exactly does integrated aircraft MRO entail? At AerSale^®, we deliver comprehensive MRO capabilities spanning maintenance, modifications, reconfigurations, upgrades, and conversions. Taken as a whole, this robust, integrated offering is proven to maximize a fleet’s performance—leaving no stone unturned and ensuring no issue slips through unnoticed by our well-coordinated team.

If you’re looking to position your aircraft for success, your MRO strategy should include these key elements.

• Heavy Maintenance and Storage: Major structural repair and modification; aircraft heavy maintenance, including C/D checks, winglet modifications and more—plus the robust infrastructure required to complete this complex maintenance work at the highest quality level.
• Structural Component MRO: Airframe structure and mechanical component services, plus additional capabilities in Level III NDT services, welding, heat treating, brush cadmium plating, and machine replacement of structural materials to fabricate traditional replacement parts.
• Systems Component MRO: Extensive capabilities in hydraulic system components, pneumatic component repair and overhaul, CSD/IDG, rewind, aircraft electrical systems, and aircraft landing gear wheels and brakes.
• Engine Inspections: 410 level III and level II skilled technicians who can perform key inspections, including eddy current testing, ultrasonic testing, bond testing, magnetic particle testing, penetrant inspections, resonance testing, and thermal imaging.
• MRO Supply Chain Solutions: Just In Time (JIT) inventory and other supply chain programs that streamline costs and ensure on-time global deliveries.

At AerSale, our additional capabilities span fleet introduction to fleet retirement—each one designed to maximize our customer’s value. We help commercial aviation leaders achieve healthy fleet growth through aircraft sales and leasing and optimize that fleet from service life through acquisition and retirement. Pair comprehensive aircraft MRO services with a variety of value-add capabilities to bring your fleet to new heights.

• Aircraft Sales and Leasing: An inventory of aircraft for sale including Boeing and Airbus, narrow and wide-body, and passenger and freighter configurations; plus a full suite of customized aircraft leasing options.
• Engine Sales and Leasing: A fleet of innovative options for spare engine coverage including aircraft engines for sale and engine leasing and exchange programs.
• USM Parts: A consistently updated inventory of fully traceable, high-demand airframe parts and engine parts, deployed with unparalleled global response times.
• Proprietary Solutions: FAA-approved technologies to help your fleet satisfy key mandates such as ADS-B Out and the FTFR rule.
• Asset Management and Acquisition: Capabilities in maximizing value extraction for mid- to end-of-life aircraft, engines, and spare inventories; and monetizing your assets as they enter retirement through expert aircraft acquisition planning.

In today’s competitive commercial aviation landscape, a segmented approach to MRO no longer delivers the competitive edge. Discover how AerSale’s aircraft MRO services can help you reap the many benefits of an integrated strategy: enhanced efficiency, new opportunities for optimization and cost savings, and maximum value through every stage of the aircraft life cycle.

About AerSale

A global aviation leader, AerSale specializes in the sale, lease, and exchange of used aircraft, engines, and components, in addition to providing a broad range of maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services and engineering services for commercial aircraft and components. AerSale also offers asset management services to owners of end-of-life aircraft and engine portfolios. Headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida, AerSale maintains offices and operations in the United States, Europe, and Asia. For more information on how AerSale can exceed your MRO requirements and keep your aviation assets functional and profitable from first flight to final flight, visit www.aersale.com or contact us.