New material supply will likely remain a challenge for U.S. engine specialist StandardAero in 2020--a scenario that will directly influence its ability to ramp-up in response to customer demand.  

“As busy as 2019 was, we could have sold, inducted and delivered even more engine events were it not for the shortage of certain critical parts, especially hot section life-limited parts for some of the larger engines we support,” says Roger Ross, president of StandardAero airlines and fleets.

He says that while the company’s extensive in-house component repair and used serviceable material capabilities allows it to provide customers some degree of flexibility, the dependence on key OEM-sourced parts highlights the importance of reliable material supply.

However, the tightening supply didn’t prevent StandardAero from achieving strong sales and output growth in 2019, Ross says. Its facility in Summerside, Canada alone set new records last year by inducting more than 1,000 Pratt & Whitney PW100, PT6A and JT15D engines over the 12 month-period.

In Europe, where the company announced the acquisition of TRS Global Services subsidiary TRS Ireland last week, Ross says StandardAero is also keeping a close eye on Brexit and its possible impacts on the continent. The United Kingdom--a country where the MRO has three repair facilities--is set to officially withdraw from the European Union (EU) this Friday (Jan. 31).

He feels that while the UK’s regulator, the CAA, has undertaken significant levels of planning for the country’s exit from the EU, only time will tell how smoothly the departure will be for local operators--a view shared by many MROs with a UK presence.  

“We of course hope that the CAA’s long-standing close coordination with EASA and other European airworthiness authorities will stand it in good stead, but Brexit represents uncharted waters for the industry in many ways,” he says.