With many aviation companies expecting the start of a recovery in the second half of the year, different sections of the aftermarket are jostling for position for any uptick in a demand for maintenance and support services.
Last week SR Technics launched a dedicated spare parts trading unit called STRADE to provide component sale, lease, loan and exchange services.
Other parts providers need to ensure adequate stocks of material to support narrowbody and regional aircraft, which are expected to re-enter service quicker than larger models.
As a result, some providers have taken advantage of exceptionally low prices to buy up mid-life aircraft for teardown. Others have looked to parts already in circulation.
For example, French maintenance provider Sabena Technics recently has agreed to sell its surplus inventory of consumable and expendable parts to Arizona-based AvAir.
The deal covers airframe and component materials, including new condition parts, for Airbus and ATR aircraft, which AvAir believes will be in high demand as aircraft are brought out of storage and back into service when the recovery begins.
Sabena Technics, meanwhile, is aiming to optimize its inventory by selling off surplus stock.
“It allows us to invest and further expand our stocks so we can better serve our customers," said Ludovyc Lecherbonnier,” vice-president of component solutions for Sabena Technics.
Prior to the pandemic, Sabena Technics supported about 150 aircraft across 30 airlines. It also has a footprint in Asia, having in 2018 with AFI KLM E&M jointly inaugurated a new component workshop in Singapore to focus on A320 and ATR parts.
Known as Singapore Component Solutions, the 4,500sq-m facility supports avionic, mechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic components for A320, A330, ATR, and Fokker 100 aircraft.
