Commercial Aircraft Air Management Systems Market - Growth, Trends, And Forecast (2020 - 2025)

The commercial aircraft air management systems market is estimated to record a CAGR of about 4.27% during the forecast period and reach USD 5,961 million by 2025.

- The aviation industry is projected to witness a high rate of growth during the forecast period. Increasing passenger traffic may force the airlines to procure new aircraft, which is envisioned to drive the demand for aircraft subsystems, such as the air management system.
- The aircraft and related subsystems industries are technology-driven. Currently, the replacement of conventional sensors with the latest sensors, which yield better and accurate results, and the development of robust heat exchangers are helping the production of more efficient air management systems.

Key Market Trends

Ice Protection Systems Held the Largest Market Share in 2019

In 2019, the ice protection systems segment held the largest market share in the commercial aircraft air management system market. The architecture of an aircraft makes it vulnerable to the detrimental effects of ice formation on the exposed surfaces of the aircraft, such as control surfaces, wings, engine inlets, fan blades, and other parts of the aircraft that are exposed to extreme cold conditions. In cold weather conditions, the accumulation of ice on the wings can lead to catastrophic effects, like the stalling of aircraft. Thus, the integration of ice protection systems onboard the aircraft facilitates its all-weather operability, by preventing the accumulation of ice on the wings. The increasing emphasis on aircraft safety has led to increased R&D on ice protection technologies. For instance, in 2018, Liebherr-Aerospace and NORDAM announced their partnership to develop, manufacture, test, and certify anti-ice valves to be used in a NORDAM-developed engine build-up system for A320neos equipped with the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engines. Researchers from top universities and OEMs of ice protection systems are working to develop an ultra-lightweight heater from the webs of carbon nanotubes for de-icing aircraft surfaces. The technology is still under development and may require significant investment in the coming years. Also, with the increasing aircraft orders, the demand for ice protection systems is expected to increase in the coming years.

Asia-Pacific Region to Grow with the Highest CAGR during the Forecast Period

In terms of geography, the Asia-Pacific Region is envisioned to witness growth with the highest CAGR during the forecast period. In Asia-Pacific, China and India are two of the fastest-growing aviation markets, globally. Airlines in China are increasing their aircraft fleet size in accordance with the growing aircraft demand. For instance, China Southern Airline plans to more than double the size of its fleet to 2,000 aircraft by 2035, and it is exploring ways to cooperate with low-cost carriers. Under the fleet expansion plan, the airline received first of 20 A350-900 in June 2019 as a part of the purchase agreement with Airbus signed in April 2017. In addition, the Chinese aerospace manufacturer, COMAC, is currently developing its own narrow-body aircraft, C919, to compete with Airbus and Boeing in the narrow-body aircraft segment. As of June 2019, COMAC received over 1,000 aircraft orders for its C919, with the majority of the orders from airlines based in China. The first aircraft is expected to enter service with China Eastern Airlines by 2020. A major aircraft fleet growth is also envisioned in India. For example, in India, IndiGo, a major low-cost airline in the country, announced to bolster its presence in the international and domestic markets in 2019. This introduced many domestic and seven new international destinations in 2019. To further accomplish its presence with the global expansion, the airline placed a firm order for 300 A320neo family aircraft in October 2019. This order includes a mix of A320neo, A321neo, and A321XLR aircraft. Thus, with rapid growth plans of the airlines and growing demand for air travel, the growth of the market is projected to be high during the forecast period.

Competitive Landscape

Liebherr Aerospace, Collins Aerospace, Honeywell International Inc., Safran SA, and Meggitt PLC are some of the major players in the market. Though there are many players supplying several air management subsystems in the market, a majority of the market share is being enjoyed by a few players who have long-term contracts with the major aircraft OEMs. Currently, the suppliers of commercial aircraft air management systems are working closely with the aircraft OEMs for the development of advanced systems, to address the dynamic market requirements. This may also help them to remain as a preferred choice in the market. The emphasis of the players in building more efficient bleed air systems may help the segment in the future. The Airbus A330neo aircraft features a new generation electro-pneumatic bleed air system from Liebherr-Aerospace that has compact, lightweight, and highly reliable bleed valves, as well as a pre-cooler with integrated controls. According to Liebherr-Aerospace, the system may offer a substantial reduction in operating costs and significant increases in reliability. Such innovations are envisioned to help the players increase their market share in the years to come.

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