5 Strategies Aircraft Operators Are Using to Beat Supply Chain Disruption
A single missing $2,000 component can ground a $100 million aircraft and cost operators $150,000 per day in AOG losses. In 2024, this scenario became the norm, not the exception.
Average lead times for critical aircraft components have tripled since 2020—from 45 days to 180+ days. Parts availability has dropped to historic lows, with some operators reporting fill rates below 60% on first-time orders. The result? Aircraft grounded. Schedules disrupted. Maintenance teams are scrambling for expedited shipping at 300% premiums.
Materials management is no longer a back-office function—it’s a strategic imperative for operational survival. The operators thriving in this environment have adopted five specific strategies that transform reactive firefighting into proactive resilience.
1.Understanding the New Reality: Measure Before You Manage
Supply chain disruptions have fundamentally reshaped parts availability. Manufacturing delays, logistics bottlenecks, and reduced supplier capacity have increased lead times across critical components—but not uniformly.
The operators getting ahead of this challenge start by quantifying it:
- Track average lead times by part category and supplier
- Monitor fill rate trends (percentage of orders fulfilled completely on first attempt)
- Calculate AOG frequency by component type
- Document expedited shipping costs as a percentage of total parts spend
Industry data shows that operators who baseline these metrics reduce AOG events by 30-40% within the first year simply by making data-driven decisions about what to stock and when to order.
Tactical Action: Conduct a 90-day parts availability audit. Identify your top 20 AOG-causing components and their current lead times. This becomes your priority list for the strategies that follow.
2. Inventory Optimization Over Inventory Expansion
The immediate reaction to supply uncertainty is stockpiling. While strategic reserves are important, excessive inventory ties up capital and increases obsolescence risk. Industry benchmarks suggest that every dollar of excess inventory costs operators $0.25-$0.35 annually in carrying costs, insurance, and warehouse expenses.
Effective inventory optimization balances three factors:
Usage Patterns → Align stock levels with actual consumption rates, not theoretical maximums. Rotables with high utilization need deeper stock; rarely-used components don’t.
Maintenance Schedules → Integrate your maintenance planning calendar with procurement. If you know three aircraft will undergo heavy checks in Q2, order those parts in Q4—not when the work package opens.
Component Lifecycles → Components nearing time/cycle limits create predictable demand. Use your airworthiness management data to forecast replacements 6-9 months ahead.
The Result: Operators using demand-driven inventory models report 15-25% reductions in total inventory value while simultaneously improving parts availability.
Tactical Action: Implement ABC analysis on your rotables inventory. Category A (high-value, high-usage) items get sophisticated demand forecasting. Category C (low-value, low-usage) items use simple min-max rules.
3. Strategic Stockpiling for Critical Components
Not all parts carry equal risk. Long-lead, high-impact components demand a different strategy than consumables or readily-available items.
Strategic stockpiling focuses resources where they matter most:
Long-Lead Critical Items → Components with 120+ day lead times that are single-source or have limited suppliers. Examples: certain avionics modules, specialized engine components, landing gear assemblies.
High-AOG-Risk Parts → Historical data reveals patterns. If APU starters have caused 40% of your AOG events in the past 24 months, maintain strategic stock regardless of lead time.
Regulatory-Driven Demand → Airworthiness Directives often create sudden spikes in parts demand across the industry. When an AD is issued affecting your fleet type, order early—before the supplier backlog builds.
The key is selectivity. Strategic stockpiling isn’t about hoarding everything—it’s about identifying the 5-10% of parts that cause 80% of operational disruption and ensuring they’re available when needed.
Tactical Action: Create a “critical spares matrix” scoring parts on three dimensions: lead time (days), AOG risk (historical frequency), and financial impact (daily AOG cost × average downtime). Prioritize strategic stock for top-scoring items.
4. Supplier Diversification and Alternative Parts Sources
Relying on single-source suppliers creates vulnerability. The operators building supply chain resilience are expanding their sourcing options strategically.
Practical approaches include:
PMA (Parts Manufacturer Approval) Components → FAA-approved alternative parts can offer shorter lead times and lower costs than OEM components while meeting the same airworthiness standards. For non-critical applications, PMA parts reduce dependency on OEM supply chains.
Approved Vendor Networks → Maintain relationships with 2-3 qualified suppliers for high-risk components. Yes, this requires more administrative overhead—but it’s insurance against single-supplier disruption.
Parts Pooling Agreements → Regional operators are forming cooperative arrangements to share strategic spares. When one operator faces an AOG, others in the pool can provide parts immediately, then replenish from central stock.
Used Serviceable Material (USM) Sources → For certain components, certified USM from reputable teardown facilities offers immediate availability when OEM lead times are prohibitive.
Regulatory Note: Under EASA Part-145 and FAA Part 43, all alternative parts must meet airworthiness standards and be properly documented. Ensure your quality system validates supplier approvals before adding them to your approved vendor list.
Tactical Action: For your top 10 critical components, identify at least one alternative source (PMA, secondary OEM distributor, or USM supplier) and pre-qualify them in your system.
5. Integrated CAMO-MRO-Materials Planning for End-to-End Visibility
One of the biggest challenges in materials management is fragmented information. When CAMO planning, MRO execution, and materials systems operate in silos, visibility is lost—and so is the opportunity for proactive management.
Integrated platforms connect the dots:
Advance Demand Visibility → When your CAMO system schedules a check 90 days out, your materials system should automatically flag required parts and initiate procurement if lead times exceed the maintenance window.
AD-Driven Requirements → New Airworthiness Directives create immediate parts demand. Integration ensures materials teams receive AD notifications simultaneously with technical teams, enabling parallel planning.
Real-Time Status Tracking → When a maintenance task is delayed due to parts availability, integrated systems update the CAMO schedule automatically—keeping planning, production, and materials aligned.
Audit-Ready Documentation → For EASA Part-M and Part-145 compliance, traceability from parts receipt through installation to aircraft return-to-service must be seamless. Integration eliminates manual data transfer and documentation gaps.
The operators achieving this report:
- 35% reduction in parts-related maintenance delays
- 50% faster response to unexpected AOG requirements
- 20% improvement in maintenance schedule adherence
Tactical Action: If full platform integration isn’t immediately feasible, start with weekly cross-functional planning meetings between CAMO, MRO, and materials teams to manually align on upcoming requirements. Document where lack of integration creates delays—this builds the business case for technology investment.
Your Next Steps
AircraftCloud’s Integrated CAMO-MRO-Materials Platform connects maintenance planning, airworthiness management, and inventory control in a single system—giving operators the visibility and control they need to stay ahead of supply chain uncertainty.
Resources to Get Started:
Download: The Materials Management Resilience Playbook — A tactical guide with templates for parts criticality analysis, ABC inventory classification, and supplier diversification frameworks.
Take the Supply Chain Resilience Assessment — A 5-minute evaluation that identifies your highest supply chain risks and prioritizes your next steps.
Schedule a Platform Demo — See how leading operators are achieving 35% fewer parts-related delays through integrated CAMO-MRO-Materials planning.
Speak with a Supply Chain Specialist — Questions about optimizing your materials management? Our aviation supply chain experts can help you develop a customized strategy.
Quick FAQ
Q: How much inventory should we hold in the current supply chain environment?
A: There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Begin with an ABC analysis to categorize your parts, and then apply different strategies to each category. High-value, critical items may warrant 6-12 months of coverage; low-value consumables might need only 30-60 days.
Q: Are PMA parts as reliable as OEM parts?
A: FAA-approved PMA parts must meet the same design, manufacturing, and airworthiness standards as OEM parts. They’re legally equivalent for airworthiness purposes. However, ensure your quality system includes proper supplier validation and documentation.
Q: How do we balance inventory optimization with the risk of more AOG events?
A: This is why measurement is step one. Track your AOG rate, lead times, and fill rates for 90 days to establish your baseline. Then optimize incrementally while monitoring AOG frequency. Most operators find they can reduce inventory 15-20% while improving AOG rates through better planning.
Q: What’s the ROI timeline for integrated CAMO-MRO-Materials systems?
A: Most operators see measurable impact within 6 months (reduced parts delays, better schedule adherence) and full ROI within 12-18 months through reduced AOG events, lower expedited shipping costs, and optimized inventory levels.
Q: How do we handle the sudden parts demand created by new ADs affecting our fleet?
A: Integrated systems give you an advantage here. When an AD is issued, your system should immediately identify affected aircraft and required parts, then flag if lead times exceed compliance deadlines. This enables you to order early, potentially before industry-wide demand creates backorders.
Final Takeaway
5 proven strategies aircraft operators are using to beat supply chain disruption: inventory optimization, strategic stockpiling, supplier diversification, and integrated CAMO-MRO-Materials planning.
