A sales representative packs an order at Duncan Aviation’s parts warehouse in Lincoln, Nebraska.
As tariff-induced uncertainty lingers over the global aviation industry, Duncan Aviation plans to expand access to its $170 million aircraft part inventory overseas via its online marketplace, DuncanAviationParts.com, by the end of the year.
The inventory, based at Duncan’s facility in Lincoln, Nebraska, holds more than 723,000 available line items. The method in which customers choose to access that inventory has begun to change, according to Crystal Osmera, Duncan Aviation’s business development coordinator.
“That started off as a brainchild of a way to streamline ways for our customers to get their parts,” Osmera says. “As we know, we’re coming into a new generation where customers don’t necessarily want to pick up the phone and call.”
The online marketplace originally launched in February 2025 and has since seen a 40% increase in online orders and quote requests, Osmera says. The platform’s domestic popularity is being used as confirmation for the company’s plans to expand the service overseas.
“We wanted to tiptoe into it and that’s why we made it available domestically first,” she says. “Just wanted to make sure that before we tried to ship anything overseas, that we could have a successful product and make things go from Nebraska all the way to California or Florida, before we went internationally. Now, I think we’re ready to do that.”
Domestically, parts ordered online before 3 p.m. CT are shipped that same day via FedEx. Orders received after that time are shipped on the following business day.
Once the platform begins international part deliveries, customers could expect an experience akin to Amazon, according to Glyn Tookey, Duncan Aviation’s regional sales manager for Europe, the Middle East, Asia and India. Tookey is based at the company’s facility at London Heathrow Airport.
“There’s a massive opportunity here, especially with today’s climate, with a shortage of parts globally with all the manufacturers,” Tookey says. “So, the demand is increasing. It’s also met with the challenge of the availability of the parts required.”
According to Tookey, Duncan Aviation sets itself apart from competitors in the region by combining its MRO services and parts marketplace under one brand. However, the e-commerce platform is not necessarily designed to increase demand for Duncan’s MRO offerings. The main objective, Tookey says, is to further support the customers they have today.
According to Osmera, the company originally planned to roll out international availability for DuncanAviationParts.com in October 2025. Now slated for a November 2025 launch, Osmera is grateful that the U.S.-based tariffs came before the rollout due to the added complexity for international shipments. Once initiated, the company is anticipating an increase of at least 25% in online order volume. Currently, web traffic for DuncanAviationParts.com is split nearly in half between domestic and international visitors.
Duncan Aviation does not plan to establish a parts warehouse outside the U.S. to counteract tariff costs and, according to Tookey, it has not significantly slowed the platform’s expansion.
“It hasn’t held it up,” he says. “It’s just made it very complicated because there’s so many unknowns depending on which country you’re working for or working with. You can’t base your plans on something that isn’t truly concrete or understood. You’ve just got to keep pushing forward with your own plans and addressing the obstacles as they hit you.”
Instead, Tookey believes the largest hurdle to cross is awareness.
“The most difficult challenge is getting everyone to be aware of this rollout of our e-commerce platform. It’s such a big market out there. Knowledge is key, but getting it out there and delivering that to the market is always the biggest challenge.” BCA
