Commercial Aircraft Landing Gear Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

Commercial Aircraft Landing Gear Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

The commercial aircraft landing gear market is expected to grow from over USD 16 billion in 2021 to over USD 23 billion by 2027, witnessing a CAGR of more than 8% during the forecast period (2022 - 2027).

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a full-scale crisis, with the imposition of travel restrictions and the suspension of flights in a global effort to contain the spread of the virus. The aviation industry is in survival mode, crippled by the loss of traffic and revenues. According to the latest updates from IATA, ICAO, the Airports Council International (ACI), the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the international air passenger traffic in 2021 experienced a drop of about 40%-50% compared to the pre-COVID situation. Airline revenue-per-kilometer (RPK) is anticipated to drop by 48% compared to the pre-COVID phase. The airlines are expected to record potential losses of USD 289 billion-USD 387 billion in gross operating revenues. Europe and Asia-Pacific are anticipated to be the worst hit in terms of international passenger traffic and revenues. This led to the cancelation of orders and the deferral of deliveries by several airlines across the world, thus, affecting the procurement aspect of the market.

Airlines are inclined toward maintaining the optimum health of their fleet and choose to procure new aircraft only as a last resort, owing to the high investment involved. With the COVID-19 pandemic severely hampering revenue sources and eroding the profit margins of the airlines, more airlines are expected to resort to MRO to maintain fleet efficiency. Furthermore, several government initiatives have been formulated to encourage airports to support various types of MRO as a strategic activity. The governments are now undertaking various holistic approaches to ensure that adequate space is allocated at various airports within the country for MRO, which may enhance commercial aircraft MRO activities, including landing gear MRO, during the forecast period.

Due to the international travel restrictions, the airline operators are more inclined toward the integration of the fleet in domestic routes. Several airline operators in the US aligned their aircraft fleet toward domestic routes in 2020. Such operational change resulted in higher take-off and landing operations as compared to international travel, supporting the business opportunities for MRO players.

Key Market TrendsThe Main Landing Gear Segment Held the Largest Market Share in 2021

The main landing gear bears the whole weight of the aircraft during the first impact. Hence, the number of tires used in them is more compared to the nose landing gears. The main landing gear manufacturing involves more costs due to a higher number of parts compared to the nose landing gears. Thus, the revenues from this segment are more compared to the nose landing gears segment. Widebody aircraft and large freighter aircraft are the main revenue generators for the segment, as they require large main landing gear equipment to support the weight of the aircraft. The cost of purchasing a new landing gear, the cost for MRO, and aftermarket costs for the multi-bogey landing gear used in widebody aircraft are high. For instance, in A380, the world’s largest commercial aircraft, the main landing gear consists of 20 wheels in total.

To cater to business opportunities in this highly challenging environment, industry players are engaged in long-term business agreements and Y-o-Y contracts. In April 2021, Magellan received a contract extension for the delivery of its landing gear components for Boeing 737, 767, and 777. The main landing gear assembly of the aircraft is the largest and most complex ever developed for a commercial aircraft. Thus, the cost per unit landing gear assembly of the main landing gear is high due to a larger number of subsystems involved, thus, resulting in high revenues for the segment.

Asia-Pacific is Expected to Register the Highest CAGR During the Forecast Period

The growth of the commercial aviation industry is projected to be the highest in Asia-Pacific. With a high passenger traffic growth, several airlines in the region have ordered new commercial aircraft in recent years. A major portion of commercial aircraft deliveries is expected to be in Asia-Pacific during the forecast period. Correspondingly, the demand for new commercial aircraft landing gear is also expected to be highest in Asia-Pacific in the coming years. China's commercial aviation sector made great strides in the past five years, and further improvements are expected in the coming years. China crossed the United States to become the largest aviation market in 2020. The Chinese state-owned aerospace manufacturer, COMAC, launched the ARJ21 aircraft in 2015 and planned to make the first delivery of C919 in 2021. Liebherr LAMC Aviation Co. Ltd is the supplier of landing gear for the ARJ21 program and is home to the assembly line of C919 landing gear struts. The growing fleet size in China also generated significant demand for MRO services in the country. In 2019, India was the second-fastest growing aviation market in Asia-Pacific.

The international and domestic air passenger traffic in India more than doubled between 2010 and 2019. The increasing air passenger traffic forced some of the airlines in India to expand their fleet size. Currently, Indian airlines are operating domestic flights at around 70% of their pre-COVID levels. They are expected to reach their pre-COVID levels by 2023. Airlines in India are mostly dependent on foreign MRO players for landing gear MRO services. With the construction of new regional and international airports in the coming years and the growth in fleet size, there is a huge potential for the commercial aircraft landing gear MRO market to grow in India.

In addition to China and India, the aviation industries in several other regions are also expected to recover faster than the countries in other regions due to huge domestic demand, thereby helping the growth of the related commercial aircraft landing gear markets in the coming years. Initiatives taken by countries, like India and China, to establish indigenous manufacturing capabilities will gradually support the MRO segment within the commercial aircraft landing gear market. For instance, in October 2021, the aerospace unit of Wipro Infrastructure Engineering inaugurated a 25,000 sq ft precision manufacturing facility in Bengaluru. The facility will be used to mass manufacture aircraft landing gear components and hydraulic actuators.

Competitive Landscape

The market for commercial aircraft landing gear is highly fragmented due to many MRO players in the market. The market includes landing gear system suppliers, component providers, landing gear integrators, and MRO providers. Safran SA, Raytheon Technologies Corporation, Honeywell International Inc., AAR Corporation, and Meggitt PLC are prominent players in the market. With the forecasted trend for growth in the market for landing gear (and related equipment) in the coming years, companies are expanding their production capacities and capabilities to cater to the demand. For instance, in February 2020, Raytheon Technologies Corporation announced its plan to construct a new landing system facility in Fort Worth, Texas, and expand its carbon brake manufacturing facility in Spokane, Washington. The expansion of its carbon brake manufacturing facility in Pueblo, Colorado, is currently underway.

Landing gear suppliers are also investing in the research and development of advanced lightweight landing gear systems (to increase the fuel efficiency of aircraft), noise-reducing devices, and electric landing gear systems (to reduce carbon emissions of aircraft). In collaboration with JAXA, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation, SPP is involved in FQUROH (flight demonstration of quiet technology to reduce noise from high-lift configurations), which aims to design and manufacture noise reduction devices attached to the main landing gear.

Landing gear manufacturers and assemblers are entering partnerships and collaborations to increase their maintenance and support capabilities and serve customers in new geographical locations. In addition to the efforts of manufacturers and assemblers, MRO providers are also actively investing in enhancing their presence in the market by constructing new landing gear maintenance facilities and entering long-term partnerships with airlines and aircraft operators. Such investments are expected to propel the growth prospects of companies in the coming years.

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