Elongated Boeing Strike Is Hurting The Aftermarket

BARCELONA—The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers strike against Boeing and the resulting furloughs and layoffs are affecting the aviation industry adversely in various ways, including the aftermarket.

There is a cascading effect on the industry when Boeing does not deliver new aircraft to airlines. Aviation Technical Services (ATS), which provides airframe and component maintenance in the U.S., is feeling the furloughs.

“We absolutely need Boeing engineering support for our repairs,” says Dennis Santare, senior vice president for component and engineering solutions.

People with whom ATS normally talks can be unavailable due to layoffs or furloughs, so response times are “much slower” and it’s harder to find people to help, he says.

ATS performs structural repairs on large parts such as flight control surfaces, and “typically most of those will require some level of Boeing input at times,” explains Santare.

The same is true for engine mounts, which hold nacelles to the aircraft. ATS works on CFM56 and Leap mounts for narrowbodies and occasionally needs Boeing engineering input. He did say ATS has not seen engine-mount cracks like those found on the 777X.

ATS, which orders parts in advance, is still receiving them from Boeing on schedule, “but we’re worried that could start to be an issue, including getting in touch with people from Boeing Distribution Services and Boeing Global Services, because of the furloughs and layoffs,” Santare says. “We’re having a lot of discussions about how to adjust our ordering to mitigate that.”

“They’ve got to start making airplanes,” even though the aftermarket makes more money when older airplanes keep flying, notes Santare.

For HAECO, which has airframe maintenance facilities in the U.S. and Asia, “The longer this goes on, the more critical the situation on the market,” says Chief Commercial Officer Gerald Steinhoff. “The more pressure there is on airlines that simply can’t get these [new] aircraft in the air as they need them affects our maintenance schedules as well,” he says.