Airbus intends to triple annual revenues from services for commercial aircraft operators to $10 billion over the next decade.
The European manufacturer generated a $3.2 billion turnover in the segment in 2017, and foresees a total market worth $4.6 trillion for commercial aircraft services across the period to 2037.
Senior vice-president of customer services Philippe Mhun noted during a briefing at Farnborough air show on 17 July that the 20-year outlook was in the "same vicinity" as new aircraft demand, which Airbus forecasts will be worth $5.8 trillion over the period.
The largest proportion of the predicted market – around $2.2 trillion – Airbus sees in aircraft services, including maintenance, spares and tools provision, technical training, and passenger-to-freight conversions.
Mhun says airlines are increasingly outsourcing support requirements, and that the airframer is able to provide services across an aircraft's entire lifecycle – from initial engineering support to final dismantling of the asset.
That market is set to more than double to exceed $160 billion in 2037, from $76 billion this year, Airbus says.
The next-largest category accounts for a cumulative spend of around $1.5 trillion and covers services to support airlines' flight operations, including fuel-saving efforts and pilot training.
Airbus foresees demand for 540,000 pilots over the period, and will for the first time co-operate with flight academies offering ab-initio pilot training.
Mhun says cadets from the first training partnership – with flight academy Escuela de Aviacion Mexico – will be ready for employment in 2019, and that a network of around 20 similar co-operations will be established by 2020.
Thirdly, Airbus sees a $900 billion market for cabin upgrades, driven by the need to keep onboard connectivity up to date.
As aircraft cabin interiors become more complex on new aircraft, upgrading of in-service equipment will be especially demanding, says Mhun.
He notes Boeing's strategy of investing in external businesses and establishing joint ventures with partners to grow aftermarket services activity and become more closely involved with the supply chain.
Mhun says that expanding Airbus's aftermarket business through acquisitions is not a priority for Airbus, and that the airframer instead intends to maximise benefits from collaboration with customers and suppliers.
Meanwhile, digital services are at the centre of the airframer's aftermarket growth plans. Avianca Brazil, China Airlines, Finnair, Scoot, StarFlyer, Thai Airways and four undisclosed operators have been recruited as customers for Airbus's Skywise digital services platform.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
