Aircraft Aerodynamic Seals Market by Air..
This report, from Stratview Research, studies the global aircraft aerodynamic seals market over the trend period of 2012 to 2017 and forecast period of 2018 to 2023. The report provides detailed insights into the market dynamics to enable informed business decision making and growth strategy formulation based on the opportunities present in the market.
Seals are used in the multiple areas of an aircraft in order to serve a wide array of functions including aerodynamics, fire resistance, conduction, insulation, and air and fluid handling. Aerodynamic seals are the most widely used in an aircraft in terms of both value and units sold and account for more than 40% of the total aircraft seals market. Aerodynamic seals in an aircraft are exposed to a wide range of challenging and operating conditions, such as high temperature, pressure, aggressive chemicals, high frequency of oscillation, and the threat of fire and explosion. It becomes necessary to select a sealing material that can handle such extreme circumstances. The most commonly used materials in aircraft aerodynamic seals are polymers, which comprise elastomers, such as silicone, fluorosilicone, PTFE, rubber, and thermoplastics.
The global aircraft aerodynamic seals market is projected to grow at a healthy rate over the next five years to reach US$ 494.7 million in 2023. Increasing production rates of commercial aircraft are primarily driving the demand for aerodynamic seals. Both major commercial aircraft manufacturers, Boeing and Airbus, are incessantly increasing the production rates of their best-selling aircraft in order to meet such huge order backlogs. At the same time, both have strategically been launching fuel-efficient version of their best-selling aircraft programs to have a better grip on the market growth. Currently, Boeing and Airbus had a combined total order backlog of 13,090 commercial aircraft as of 31 March 2018. Owing to this factor, it is estimated that there would have a sustained demand for aerodynamic seals in the foreseeable future.
Another factor assuring a greater demand for fuel-efficient aircraft. The aerospace industry is highly regulated by stringent regulations imposed by different regulatory bodies located across the world. Currently, these bodies are tightening the aerospace industry by introducing more stringent regulations on the airline industry regarding the carbon emissions reductions. Additionally, volatile crude oil prices plummet the margin of airlines in this fiercely competitive market as fuel is the leading cost component of the overall airline operating cost, roughly accounting for 35% to 40% of the total operating cost. These factors are pushing airlines to demand more fuel-efficient aircraft in order to elevate their profit margin as well as to abide such stringent regulations. Making aircraft lightweight and aerodynamic are the major ways through which the aerospace industry can make aircraft more fuel efficient. This, in turn, is driving the usage of aerodynamic seals in various sections of the aircraft.
The global aircraft aerodynamic seals market is segmented based on aircraft type as Commercial Aircraft, Regional Aircraft, Helicopter, Military Aircraft, and General Aviation. Commercial aircraft is expected to remain the largest and fastest-growing segment of the global aircraft aerodynamic seals market during the forecast period. Increasing demand for commercial aircraft to support rising passenger traffic, increasing production rates of key programs, such as B737, A320 family, B787, and A350XWB; market entry of new players, such as COMAC and Irkut; an introduction of variants of existing best-selling aircraft programs, such as B737 max, A320neo, and B777X; and rising commercial aircraft fleet size across regions are the key factors propelling the demand for aerodynamic seals in the commercial aircraft segment.
Based on the application type, the global aircraft aerodynamic seals market is segmented as Airframe; Flight Control Surfaces; Landing Gear, Wheels & Brakes; and Others. The airframe is expected to remain the most dominant application segment of the aircraft aerodynamic seals market during the forecast period. Aerodynamic seals are used in a wide spectrum of airframe applications, such as molded seals for doors & hatches, wings and fuselage fairings, and cabin windows.
Based on the material type, the aircraft aerodynamic seals market is segmented as Polymers, Composites, and Metals. The polymer seal is expected to remain the largest segment of the global aircraft aerodynamic seals market during the forecast period. Elastomers are the most widely preferred seals in the polymer category used for helping the airframers to make aircraft more aerodynamic, driven by their ability to contract 10 times more than steel seals along with an increased flexibility in low temperatures.
Based on the regions, North America is expected to remain the largest aircraft aerodynamic seals market during the forecast period, whereas Asia-Pacific is expected to experience the highest growth during the same period. The highest growth of Asia-Pacific region is driven by a host of factors including increasing demand for commercial aircraft to support rising passenger traffic, the opening of assembly plants of Boeing and Airbus in China, upcoming indigenous commercial and regional aircraft (COMAC C919 and Mitsubishi MRJ), and rising aircraft fleet size.
The supply chain of this market comprises raw material suppliers, aircraft aerodynamic seal manufacturers, distributors, aircraft OEMs, and airline companies. The key aircraft aerodynamic seal manufacturers are Hutchinson SA, Trelleborg AB, Meggitt Plc, Esterline Technologies Corporation, Freudenberg Group, and Parker Hannifin Corporation. The development of lightweight seals with low friction as well as wear and abrasion resistance, regional expansion, and the execution of mergers & acquisitions are the key strategies adopted by the key players to gain a competitive edge in the market.
The global aircraft aerodynamic seals market is segmented into the following categories.