Working together key to the future demands of MRO

Collaboration among MROs will be critical in the years ahead to manage challenges, panelists concurred, including by sharing skills and assisting with capabilities where needed. And with demand growing, building local talent pipelines will be a continued focus. As newer aircraft types join fleets on the continent in larger numbers, more detailed knowledge and expertise will be required.

The region is poised to see total MRO spending valued at $32.6 billion between 2024-2033, according to data from Aviation Week Network, with the highest spend expected in engine maintenance (51 per cent), followed by components (22 per cent), and line maintenance (17 per cent).

In recognition of that growth, Airbus has positioned itself to be closer to where the demand is, and where its aircraft will be, explained Cheikh Diop, Airbus global support strategy for Africa project leader. The OEM announced it will set up a customer support center in Johannesburg to strengthen its presence on the continent and support growth, including the expansion of latest generation aircraft.

“As the fleet grows, they will need to take care of it and at the moment, we see some struggling to do more than they would wish to, for different reasons — it can be talent availability or spare availability or hangar availability — whatever it is, we are willing to go beyond our OEM role,” said Diop. “We cannot be in the front seat, but we really are investing in people that can support this.”