Engine maintenance spending is projected to claim 53% of the $139 billion global commercial aftermarket market in 2026, up from 49% in 2025 and 46% in 2024, according to Aviation Week's early 2026 MRO market outlook. The shift reflects rising labor costs, more expensive parts for increasingly complex engine designs and ongoing supply chain headwinds that have made engine shop visits both more frequent and more costly.
Aviation Week estimates that supply chain constraints alone added about $3.1 billion in extra maintenance costs for airlines in 2025, as operators paid a premium to keep aircraft flying amid parts shortages and longer shop turnaround times. Sustained demand for maintenance on older platforms, including the IAE V2500, continues to prop up overall aftermarket activity even as manufacturers steadily increase new aircraft deliveries.
Separately, Aviation Week's Commercial Fleet and MRO Forecast projects the global aircraft fleet will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 3% between 2026 and 2035, with more than 21,000 new aircraft deliveries expected once retirements and freighter conversions are factored in. Maintenance demand tied to the CFM Leap engine family is forecast to expand at a 13% compound annual growth rate over the coming decade, among the fastest growth rates of any engine platform tracked in the report.
Together, the figures point to an aftermarket increasingly weighted toward engine work, as airlines extend the service lives of existing fleets while newer, more complex engine platforms enter widespread service.
Source: Aviation Week - https://aviationweek.com/mro/supply-chain/early-2026-outlook-shows-mro-market-momentum-increasing