January/February 2023 - 10

SPECI AL FOCUS
I
t's been a long path for business
aviation since 2020 and the onset
of COVID-19 disrupted the world.
There have been ups and downs,
and while no one has a crystal ball
to forecast exactly what the year
ahead will bring, AMT polled some
of the industry's top minds to give
a good idea of what to anticipate.
The majority of the voices you'll hear from in the
coming pages were interviewed at this past year's
NBAA-BACE held in Orlando, Florida. You can view
those extended interviews between AMT Editor
Walker Jaroch and the various thought leaders at
AviationPros.com/21293022.
Recapping 2022
Broadly, 2022 was an up year for business aviation.
David Jensen, senior vice president, ACI Jet,
described it as great year for the industry.
" I think everybody would agree that it was a great
year for business aviation as a whole. I think everybody
saw increased aircraft sales. Aircraft usage is
up. Of course, that means maintenance is up. All of
that translates to good news for business aviation, "
Jensen said.
Spencer Hoggarth, regional sales manager, Flying
Colours Corp., echoed similar sentiments, saying
that 2022's rise in business travel naturally led to
an uptick in MRO work.
" We've been delivering a lot of MRO projects,
paint projects, interior projects - sometimes all
three at once. One of the biggest challenges we have
is hangar space. We have more demand for the product
than we have hangar space for, " Hoggarth said.
Francisco Zozaya, chief revenue officer, JSSI
added that 2022 was a strong year for business
aviation, particularly the maintenance services
arm of the industry.
" A year of such high utilization has affected the
maintenance schedule, and operators are looking for
a partner in tracking and overseeing their maintenance
requirements, ensuring slot availability, procuring
parts in advance and minimizing downtime, "
he continued.
But as Hoggarth noted, the year was not without
its challenges. In fact, Zozaya called 2022 the year
of challenges.
" Material and labor shortages, increased parts
lead time, and the lack of rental assets and slot
availability resulted in longer shop turn times. High
demand paired with low supply created difficulties
10 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023
in acquiring aircraft for tear down, and inflation
rates accelerated the costs of parts and skilled labor.
" While it has been difficult for the whole industry
to return aircraft to service quickly in this environment,
we saw increased demand for our core
three product lines: Hourly Cost Maintenance
Programs, Maintenance Software, and Parts &
Leasing, " Zozaya said.
Jensen added that the pilot and technician shortage
were two of the greatest obstacles they experienced,
along with the supply chain issues that
plagued the entire industry and beyond.
" So, I think that while there was a lot of good
things that happened, we certainly saw our struggles
as well, " Jensen continued.
The Struggles and
Success Lingering
Into 2023
While there are many variables at
play, Ron Jennings, vice president
of sales - corporate MRO, C&L
Aviation Services, said he anticipates
the growth the industry saw
in 2022 to continue in 2023.
" I don't think it's going to plateau.
I think the wild card in this whole
thing is, what's the economy going
to do? And how will people react to
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY
2022 proved to be an up
year for the industry,
with some running
out of hangar space
to meet demand.
C&L AEROSPACE
The technician shortage
was one of last year's
greatest challenges,
with little ease likely
to be offered in 2023.
ACI JET
http://www.AviationPros.com/21293022
January/February 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January/February 2023
