Top MRO Trends & What They Mean for BizJet Owners

What does a wide-angle view of the Business Aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) industry reveal today? There are many challenges and opportunities facing MRO providers and aircraft owners alike, some of which pre-existed Covid, and some that emerged as a result.

So what are the key trends that the leading maintenance service providers are watching in 2024, and what do they mean for aircraft owners? We polled a selection of experts within the field to discover more...

BizAv MRO Scheduling

One challenge that doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon is the backlogs faced by MRO shops worldwide in the wake of Covid. These haven’t diminished from their peaks of 1-2 years ago, and some areas of aircraft MRO are already sold out through most of 2025, according to Ryan Huss, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Duncan Aviation.

He highlights that this will continue to be a challenge for the industry going forwards. “The only thing we can do is stay in front of customers and get them ready to sign up for upcoming scheduled maintenance as soon as possible,” he adds.

But there are also things aircraft owners can be doing to help minimize the bottleneck for themselves and for others.

“While scheduled inspections are easy to forecast,” Huss explains, “having booked for an inspection nice and early, if an owner subsequently finds they need to add Service Bulletins, a modification, or an interior refurbishment to the schedule, it’s important we receive those requests as early as possible.

According to Huss, giving your MRO provider a minimum three months’ notice regarding changes and additions will help them tremendously. “We can allocate the manpower and [pre-order] parts”, whereas if an owner waits until a week before input, “the manpower will already be allocated to other projects and it then becomes a matter of extending downtime.”

Extended downtime could mean weeks longer in the maintenance hangar with the net result being frustration for the aircraft owner, and further scheduling pressures for the MRO provider.

For aircraft owners and operators, flexibility may be their best friend, Huss notes. “If an owner can’t get maintenance scheduled for the exact dates they want, those who can be flexible with input dates will find it easier to book a slot that’s at least near to the preferred time, at their preferred maintenance provider.”

Extended Downtimes in Aircraft MRO

Regarding increased downtime, “Material availability continues to be a weak point in the industry,” and is one of the reasons for extended downtime according to André Ebach, Managing Director at Aero-Dienst, a Germany-based MRO provider specializing in Bombardier, Dassault Falcon and Hawker jets.

While the supply chain issues have eased slightly in recent months, Aero-Dienst anticipates it will continue to be problematic for the foreseeable future – and because of this, flexibility from MRO providers and aircraft owners is more important than ever before.

There are various ways MRO providers can work to minimize the risk of unexpected delays and project overruns for aircraft owners, particularly when it comes to accessing the parts pool.

“We rely on analysis of historical maintenance data, combined with the strategic purchasing and stocking of parts,” he notes. “In the components area, especially, an MRO shop can often save time and money through its own capabilities.”

With around 20-30% of scheduled inspections ending up requiring replacement parts for the aircraft, however, “we’re working through those needs as best as possible [when they arise],” Huss adds. “The OEMs are all working to be as ready as possible [with a good supply of available parts] but you can imagine there are a lot of parts on an airplane – so it’s not that easy to predict all of the need, all of the time.”

Again, the advice is for aircraft owners to work with their MRO provider further ahead of a scheduled maintenance event, inspection or overhaul, discussing in detail the scope of the project and allocation of MRO shop staff.

Providing access to detailed aircraft records that highlight the parts and components which may need to be swapped-out will give the shop a fighting chance to ensure those parts are readily available when needed.

Industry-wide staffing shortages doesn’t help the MRO providers in their efforts to manage scheduling issues, but many are responding with programs of their own – though this is not a challenge with a quick fix.

“Duncan Aviation continues to seek to develop its own aviation technicians and mechanics,” Huss says, having developed the Aviation and Technical Education Focus Program with Lincoln Public Schools, for example.

Designed to create interest in aviation and to train the next generation of pilots, technicians, engineers, dispatchers, and flight instructors from a focus program in a High School near Duncan Aviation, Huss highlights that the company recently saw its first graduate come through the program and return to work at Duncan Aviation.

Since its inception the high school program has grown with 400 students accepted for its aviation classes this coming year.

Duncan Aviation has invested just under $3.5m into the program to develop a “really inclusive” experience, he shares. “Most of the OEMs have tremendous training programs, as do various other Business Aviation MRO providers. But realistically it’s going to be tough to grow and develop enough of a pool of talent to support all of us in the next couple of years,” he predicts.

“There are still a fair number of aviation mechanics and technicians approaching retirement in the industry – so qualifying new mechanics is just offsetting that, as opposed to growing the pool... at least for now.”

While their clout means the airlines can hire entire classes of aviation technicians graduating from A&P schools, making it challenging for Business Aviation MRO providers to compete, Huss reckons the plan Duncan Aviation and lots of its peers have with growing their own talent pools will work – “it’s just going to take time”.

Rising Aircraft Maintenance Costs

Interconnected with hiring talented maintenance staff, aircraft owners need to be mindful that wages are ultimately what attracts talent to the industry. “We’ve seen significant price increases for MRO work in our industry over the last few years, and we will continue to do so,” Huss highlights.

“This is largely attributable to wage inflation around the world, and it’s important for aircraft owners to understand this. That means owners need to be realistic and try to understand where the price increases are coming from and why.”

Most importantly, this is no time to be chasing after the cheapest quote and compromising on quality and safety. 

Thankfully that isn’t the case from Ebach’s perspective. “We’re seeing a growing number of aircraft owners looking beyond the cheapest market price for maintenance labor and instead seeking out maintenance facilities which focus on quality and experience,” he notes.

With a customer-centric mindset at the heart of everything his company does, and a commitment to operational excellence, Matthew Nicholls, Senior Advisor, Communications and Public Affairs for Bombardier highlights the importance for Bombardier’s teams to be dynamic and innovative about how they solve problems.

“This enables us to create a culture of resilience where each member of our team feels empowered to make choices that lead to an easy, efficient service journey for our customers.”

With regulatory requirements becoming more stringent, and maintenance work requiring greater administrative attention, Ebach highlights “Aero-Dienst is constantly investing in training for our employees” – adding that aircraft owners and operators should pay keen attention to how an MRO provider invests in its staff training, rather than the price they’re quoting.

As a matter of fact, a proactive MRO center that is invested in the ongoing training of its maintenance team can positively impact the cost of MRO work, ultimately. “Greater experience in troubleshooting and maintenance work noticeably reduces the hours required to accomplish maintenance tasks,” Ebach highlights, directly helping reduce the cost.

Advanced Technologies in MRO

Sajedah Rustom, CEO of AviaPro, a Canada-based firm offering MRO consultancy services, notes that along these lines, maintenance providers are increasingly investing in ensuring their technicians and engineers are proficient in using new technologies and interpreting data from advanced systems.

“The integration of advanced technologies presents opportunities, such as enhanced efficiency, which can streamline maintenance processes and reduce turnaround times and costs,” she highlights.

Rustom points out that there are also challenges for MRO shops seeking to utilize such technologies, including the high initial costs and the need for specialized skills, which requires targeted training and recruitment. “It is hoped that more MRO providers will see the benefits beyond the initial outlay,” she adds.

AviaPro is closely watching the potential for advanced technologies to alleviate unnecessary downtime, and it has seen a growing acceptance of advanced technologies including predictive maintenance, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT).

These are gradually transforming maintenance procedures by enhancing efficiency and accuracy, Rustom says. “Predictive maintenance, for example, enables the anticipation of potential issues before they become critical, thereby reducing aircraft downtime and improving safety.”

And as MRO providers and flight departments more proactively monitor an aircraft’s maintenance condition, they’ll see maintenance needs developing, pre-ordering necessary parts ahead of time. Essentially, the way MRO shops and aircraft owners handle maintenance can become proactive, rather than reactive.

“Duncan Aviation has had a big push on AI recently, and we’re looking at how we can do things better with less human capital,” adds Huss. “For example, robotics, or even just more efficient scheduling.”

He affirms Rustom’s assertion that predictive maintenance via advanced technologies can help MRO shops prepare better for upcoming inspections. “For example,” he adds, “with predictive AI, we can forecast that a 96-month inspection takes ‘X’ weeks, match it with our average findings for a plane of that age, and have a greater understanding of how to prepare better in advance of that event.

“We’ll know what to tell customers to help them be prepared before their plane comes through our hangar door,” he says, highlighting that this is an area Duncan Aviation has been growing in “exponentially”.

But Huss is careful to point out that no amount of AI or advanced technology should replace communication. “Even if you’ve booked an inspection 12 months early you should keep in contact with your MRO provider,” he advises.

As AI-driven analytics grows across the MRO industry, it will “facilitate optimized maintenance scheduling and better decision-making, while IoT devices provide real-time monitoring of aircraft systems,” Rustom summarizes. “Staying informed about MRO technology upgrades and their impact on maintenance scheduling is also crucial for effective planning.”

The way that digital tools are redefining MRO activities is not lost on Bombardier either. Nicholls shares that the OEM systematically monitors fleet demographics including fleet wide utilization by platform, base location, destination traffic patterns and upcoming maintenance burden.

“Embracing these innovations isn’t just a choice,” he says. “It’s a strategic imperative that puts us ahead of the curve.”

Labelling Bombardier’s Smart Link Plus aircraft health monitoring system a technological game-changer, Smart Link Plus provides a range of in-flight and ground-based features to create a truly connected aircraft, “delivering digital ‘back-to-birth’ traceability of an aircraft’s history”.

And other digital products and services Bombardier is rolling out includes its myService app, for which it is creating new features for day-to-day connectivity to Aircraft on Ground (AOG) and Bombardier service centre support.

“With myService, maintenance customers visiting select service centers can monitor their aircraft’s real-time progress, and our Online Parts Ordering tool, which leverages AI to provide parts recommendations,” notes Nicholls.

“And we recently launched the myBombardier portal which consolidates information, services and applications in one place. These technologies and others not only help us respond to our customers’ needs but also to unlock opportunities for growth across our MRO operations,” he says.

Global MRO Network Expansions

As developing markets continue to grow and the leading OEMs sell larger numbers of aircraft around the world, the MRO network has expanded to offer far greater global support than was available only a few years ago.

Now it’s far less likely for an aircraft operator to encounter an unexpected maintenance issue that could leave them stranded for several days, waiting for help to arrive.

The OEMs have put considerable effort into developing their authorized maintenance centers to ensure support is more conveniently accessed where operators of their aircraft are located.

“Bombardier has more than 1,800 aircraft maintenance technicians in our worldwide service network and they have the knowledge required to provide solutions that match our customers’ needs,” says Nicholls.

“Their expertise is further amplified by our modern, state-of-the-art facilities around the world. Since 2022, we have added almost one million square feet of new service capacity to our worldwide aftermarket footprint, including in Europe and the UK.”

As the backbone of Bombardier’s global offering, its service centres serve to connect the OEM directly with Bombardier jet owners.

“Moreover, Bombardier’s 35 Mobile Response Teams are also available in key locations around the world to fulfil any maintenance request,” Nicholls adds. “Our teams are always ready to assist customers by finding the most efficient and timely solutions.”

The expansion of global MRO networks is prompting providers to form strategic alliances with local service providers, and establish joint ventures to extend their global reach, Rustom observes.

“Setting up new facilities in emerging markets allows for more accessible and timely services for international customers” she says, though she highlights that managing a global network introduces its own complexities relating to regulatory compliance, coordination, and cultural differences. “This is something MRO providers must address effectively if they are to succeed.”

The expansion of global MRO networks provides more options for booking maintenance slots, which could offer greater flexibility and quicker service, Rustom says, emphasizing that “clear communication with MRO providers, especially when dealing with international facilities, is essential for aircraft owners to align maintenance needs and address potential issues proactively”.

The MRO Sustainability Focus

Anyone attending a major Business Aviation convention in recent years can’t have failed to notice the emphasis on sustainability. But the pledge from the industry to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 reaches much further than fuel.

“The MRO sector is increasingly prioritizing eco-friendly practices,” Rustom says. “This trend includes efforts to reduce carbon footprints, adopt sustainable materials, and implement recycling programs.

“As pressure mounts to address environmental impacts, MRO providers are developing practices that align with broader aviation goals. This includes...integrating sustainable materials into maintenance operations.”

MRO providers are adopting eco-friendly practices like material recycling, waste reduction, and are either developing their own, or providing sustainable products. The challenge, according to Rustom is for MRO shops to transition to sustainable practices with “agility”, since “transitioning to sustainable practices can involve significant costs and regulatory uncertainties”.

For those who are successful, their efforts will help differentiate them in a competitive marketplace, she argues, and ensure compliance with evolving regulations.

However, the focus on sustainability and green initiatives could lead to new procedures, which – in turn – could result in longer turnaround times or increased costs, Rustom warns.

“It’s important for aircraft owners to understand the sustainability practices of their chosen MRO provider and how these might affect them. Building flexibility into maintenance schedules to accommodate potential delays and considering MROs that prioritize eco-friendly practices can help manage these changes effectively,” she adds.

In Summary...

Wherever you look, the overarching advice is similar for aircraft owners and operators facing upcoming maintenance work. “It’s always advisable for aircraft owners and operators to remain prudent when it comes to booking maintenance events,” Nicholls advises, “but we continue to work to make the entire process as easy and efficient as possible.”

“Aircraft owners and operators should seek to build strong relationships with their MRO providers, stay informed about the industry trends, and have contingency plans in place for unforeseen delays or issues,” Rustom concludes.

“By proactively managing their maintenance schedules and understanding the implications of the above trends, they can better navigate the evolving MRO landscape and minimize disruptions to their operations.”

More Information From:
Aero-Dienst: www.aero-dienst.de
AviaPro: www.aviaproconsulting.com
Bombardier: www.bombardier.com
Duncan Aviation: www.duncanaviation.aero