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Aircraft parts are components manufactured to be used on aircraft. Companies such as www.STRAIGHTAERO.com and www.ILSMART.com provide list price reference and supply information for the aircraft parts business space. Many other companies such as BOEING and HONEYWELL specialize in making, repairing and reselling used/refurbished aircraft parts. Because of strict regulations on aircraft maintenance in most countries, aircraft parts must often be certified by regulatory agencies, and for this reason are often considerably more expensive than comparable uncertified parts. For those airlines that fly into the United States all new, used and refurbished parts must be certified by FAA approved manufacturers and repair stations.

The aircraft parts industry is defined as establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing aircraft assemblies, aircraft engine components, equipment and parts. The list price reference for newly manufactured parts can be found on sites such as www.STRAIGHTAERO.com or AVREF. Aircraft part refurbishment establishments are also included in this industry. There is a large market for refurbished parts. The supply is usually posted on sites such as www.ILSMART.com. ILS allows users to post their inventory of parts s well as make purchases. Establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing aeronautical instruments and electronic navigational equipment are not considered part of this sector and are covered in most aeronautical regulatory jurisdictions by other rules.

The aerospace industry is divided into two main sectors: the civil sector and the military sector, The military sector has declined sharply since the end of the Cold War. There has also been a decline in overall expenditures in the aerospace industry is also due to the increasing level of globalization. This trend has led to consolidation and massive restructuring worldwide.

Internationally, the market for aircraft parts in the civil aviation sector is dominated by Boeing (60 per cent of the global market) and Airbus Industrie (30 per cent of the market). This oligopoly (Boeing and Airbus) controls the standards that aircraft parts suppliers must meet. In addition to this concentration of companies, the aerospace component industry and market is concentrated geographically in the United States (75 per cent), although Europe (14 per cent) and Japan (5 per cent) are important centres. The military aircraft parts industry is dominated by large aerospace and defence conglomerates in a small number of large, industrial countries such as the United States, France and the United Kingdom.

Aircraft hydraulic and pneumatic assemblies comprise 6.7% of total industry shipments. The split between civilian and military hydraulic and pneumatic assemblies is 78% for civilian and 22% for military applications. Aircraft power transmission equipment comprises 6.1% of total industry shipments. The split between civilian and military power transmission equipment is 56% for civilian and 44% for military applications.

The parts business requires a high degree of service and local interaction with the airline companies. Parts are more customized, and are not the high volume commodity type of parts found in the automotive sector, for example. Because of the international scope of the market currency fluctuations, tariffs and similar import limitations, price controls and labor regulations can have a major impact on the sectors financial health. This is exacerbated by the fact that the industry is capital intensive compared to other manufacturing concerns.The Body of an airplane is called a fuselage.

A number of regulatory and market access issues negatively affect the industry including the lack of harmonization in standards around the world, e.g., air worthiness and environmental standards; impediments to licensing and transferability of personnel between company sites in different countries; and the existence of international subsidy programs and various non-tariff barriers.

The manufacture of aircraft parts and auxiliary equipment encompasses a wide variety of manufacturing processes. The industry under pressure to switch to alternative materials and processes which comply with changing domestic and international standards. As well, the industry must develop more efficient and environmentally friendly aircraft parts products to meet increasingly stringent environmental standards aimed at reducing aircraft noise and engine combustion emissions.

Boeing, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin announced an Internet trading exchange for aerospace parts in March, 2000. Aerospace and defense companies will bid, buy and auction original airplane parts and replacement parts. There are a number of companies in the aerospace parts broking space that assist in the broking transaction. Companies such as ILS, www.StraightAERO.com, AvREF, and OneAero.com assist parts brokers with providing tools that consolidate manufacturers miscellanous parts, repair stations, as well as OEM information. ILS ( ILSmart.com ) which is owned by Boeing is truly one of the main sources to determine the supply and demand of the used parts business. OneAero.com assists parts brokers and repairs stations by providing several categories of information around repair stations, pricing, and repair costs. www.STRAIGHTAERO.com provides approximate list price reference for the Aerospace industry as well as airfleet information and Company information to assist brokers to help find certified repair stations. www.STRAIGHTAERO.comand AvREF provides data sources for list price references that can be loaded into inventory systems such as Component Controls.

• List of aircraft manufacturers

• AirplaneMart.com - Aircraft Part Suppliers Directory
• Aircraft Interior Parts and Accessories
• Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment, Industry Segment Profile
• Aircraft Parts Industry, Government of Canada
• Internet Aircraft Parts Locater System