Aerospace Materials Market Overview

The Global Aerospace Materials market was valued at USD 19.74 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach USD 35.84 billion by the year 2032, at a CAGR of 6.85%

Aerospace materials are referred to as the materials which are utilized by the aircraft OEMs & component producers for creating various aircraft parts. The materials applied in airplane design have been constantly developing. Prior flights were primarily built of spruce and ash wood with muslin covering the wings, while today's airliners are produced mostly of aluminum with some structure made from steel. Aluminum is thin, technically developed in terms of forming and alloying, and it is relatively cheap cost, especially when compared to other composites hence providing effective aerodynamic features to the airplane. Furthermore, materials such as titanium alloys, steel alloys, superalloys, aluminum alloys, and composite materials are utilized to manufacture aircraft. Composite materials in aerospace are applied primarily owing to they have higher strength to weight ratio than metals. Hence, they help inefficient application of fuel enable in declining harmful fuel emissions into the atmosphere. The different types of aerospace composites such as glass fiber reinforced plastics, carbon fiber reinforced plastics, metal matrix composites (MMC), aramid fiber composites, and ceramic matrix composites (CMC). Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the global market for Aerospace Materials is estimated to gain US$25.1 Billion by 2027, over the analysis period.

COVID-19 Impact on Aerospace Materials Market

The market was poorly influenced by COVID-19 in 2020. Due to the crisis and the lockdowns foisted to restraints the spread of the virus, passenger air-travel activities were temporarily shut down. Even after the lockdown ended, people were hesitant to travel frequently. As per the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the overall number of passengers globally bring down by 92% in April 2020, compared to the same month in 2019. In addition, international traffic was demolished by 98%. These factors declined the development of the aerospace industry, which, in turn, poorly impacted the demand for the Aerospace Materials market. Furthermore, the interruption in the supply chain resulting in delays or non-arrival of raw materials disrupted financial flows, and rising defection among production line workers have forced aerospace component manufacturers to operate at partial capacities.

Market Dynamics And Factors For The Aerospace Materials Market

Drivers:

Growth in the aerospace materials market is set to be accelerated mainly by the strongly rising commercial air travel demand. The demand for stronger, lighter, quieter operating, safer, fuel-efficient and lower emission aircraft is turning demand for next-generation materials in manufacturing. Some of the major factors turning growth in the market include the growth in the number of orders and deliveries for new and wide-bodied commercial aircraft, rising number of low-cost carriers, growing demand for lightweight and more fuel-efficient aircraft, and technological developments in composite materials. Low-cost carriers (LCCs) have proved to be strong competitors in the market, especially in the emerging countries of APAC and South America. More travelers are expected to fly more often in the MEA and APAC. Aircraft carriers such as Emirates (UAE), Qatar Airways (Qatar), and Etihad Airways (UAE) are among the biggest players in commercial aviation in the Middle East and carry the majority of passengers who travel between APAC and Europe. The number of people applying air transport is rising, driving the demand for larger airplanes. This demand will bring business opportunities to companies providing aerospace materials and other required components in the aircraft manufacturing industry.

Restraints:

The decline in the number of aircraft deliveries would directly affect the aerospace materials market. Since more than 80% of the utilization of composite material is in commercial aircraft, the decline in demand for composite owing to the reduced number of aircraft orders would poorly impact the aerospace materials market. For example, the grounding of Boeing 737MAX resulting from accidents suffered by the Malaysian and Ethiopian Airlines, recently, resulted in the cancellation of its orders. In the first quarter of 2020, Airbus and Boeing delivered 122 and 50 commercial aircraft worldwide, which is 22% and 66% less as compared with the first quarter of 2019.

Opportunities:

UAV (drone) applications in the military have matured, becoming a key asset in military organizations globally and creating business opportunities. Nevertheless, the civil and commercial market for UAVs is in its incipient phases with significant unrealized potential in a wide number of utilizations. Military expenditure for UAV technology is expected to increase as a total percentage of military budgets, providing growth opportunities to specialized drone producers and software developers.

Market Segmentation

Segmentation Analysis of Aerospace Materials Market:

Based on the Aircraft Type, the Commercial Aircraft segment is expected to record the maximum Aerospace Materials market share during the forecast period. General and commercial aircraft are utilized for various purposes, including civil aviation (both private and commercial) and passenger and freight transportation. The demand for aircraft is rising as air passengers are continuously growing in developing economies. As per the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the global air transport industry was valued at USD 838 billion in 2019. It gained over USD 419 billion in 2020, registering a decreasing rate of 50%. Honeywell projected that approximately 7,700 new aircraft deliveries may occur by 2028. Single-aisle aircraft are mainly utilized for commercial purposes. As per Boeing, 32,270 units of single-aisle aircraft (narrow-body aircraft) will be provided globally in the next 20 years, which may grow the demand for aerospace materials in the coming years. This rise will produce additional demand for newer aircraft resulting in aerospace materials demand.

Based on Type, the composite materials segment is expected to register the largest share of the Aerospace Materials market over the forecast period. Composites are increasingly being opted over traditional material for the production of a range of products for the simple reason that they combine properties of different constituent materials to offer more benefits and features to the end-users. Composite materials are thus turning the trend of one-piece designs, or fewer components in aircraft assembly. Man-made composite materials utilized in the aerospace industry mainly comprise carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) and glass-fiber-reinforced plastic (GFRP). CFRPs are the most applied composite materials in both functional and cabin components currently. Aircraft OEMs have started including considerable amounts of carbon composites even in single-aisle, long in-service passenger jets.

Based on the Application, the structural frames segment is expected to register the largest share for the Aerospace Materials market over the forecast period. Materials such as aluminum are compared very suitable for aircraft's frame owing to the lightweight and strength. In addition, aerospace materials utilized in structural frames are lighter than steel and hence enable higher aircraft payload and improved fuel efficiency. Also, materials such as aluminum are majorly resistant to corrosion thereby enhancing aircraft safety.

Regional Analysis of Aerospace Materials Market:

The North American region is expected to dominate the aerospace materials market over the forecast period. The US represents the maximum market for aerospace materials, primarily owing to significant research and development investments by the government in the aerospace sector, the presence of various major aircraft manufacturers such as Carpenter Technology Corporation (US), Allegheny Technologies Incorporated (US), ATI Metals (US), and others, also the adoption of different growth strategies, such as developments and mergers and accession by leading market participants.

Europe region has key aerospace materials manufacturers, such as Rio Tinto Group (UK), Solvay S.A. (Belgium), VSMPO-AVISMA Corporation (Russia), and others are helps to hasten the growth of the aerospace materials market. Raised deliveries of Airbus aircraft primarily turn the composites material demand in Europe. In addition, the region develops military aircraft and helicopters.  The European region is one of the worst influenced by the COVID-19, resulting in declined industrial and economic activities across all major economies such as the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and France.

In Asia-Pacific, the region has been observing a significant increase in demand for new aircraft on account of the economic growth and growth in disposable income that has aided in the rapid increase in the number of air travelers and low-cost carriers, which is anticipated to turn growth in the regional market. As per Boeing, in 2019, over 25% of all air travel globally occurred within Asia. This value is forecast to change to 35% in the next two decades and to occupy the maximum share of intra-regional air travel globally. The Asia-Pacific region is estimated to obtain 17,390 deliveries of new airplanes in the next two decades, which may raise the total number of airplane fleets to 19,420. This may, in turn, raise the demand for the aerospace materials market in the coming years.

Players Covered in Aerospace Materials Market are :

• Carpenter Technology Corporation (US)
•  Constellium SE (France)
•  Rio Tinto Group (UK)
•  Toray Industries Inc. (Japan)
•  Alcoa Corporation (US)
•  Teijin Limited (Japan)
•  Hexcel Corporation (US)
•  AMG N.V. (Netherlands)
•  NOVELIS (US)
•  Hexcel (US)
•  Aleris Corporation (US)
•  Arconic Inc. (the US)
•  Allegheny Technologies Incorporated (US)
•  ATI Metals (US)
•  Kaiser Aluminum (US)
•  VSMPO-AVISMA Corporation (Russia)
•  Kobe Steel Ltd. (Japan)
•  TIMET (Berkshire Hathaway Inc.) (US)
•  DuPont de Nemours Inc. (the US)
•  and others Major Players.

Key Industry Developments In The Aerospace Materials Market

• December 2023: Teijin Limited announced the production and sale of Tenax Carbon Fiber, made using sustainable acrylonitrile (AN) waste and leftover biomass materials. This innovative carbon fiber supported industries like aerospace by offering an eco-friendly solution without compromising performance. The development highlighted Teijin's commitment to sustainability and advancing green technologies for diverse industrial applications.
• June 2023: Toray Industries showcased its cutting-edge composite material solutions at the 2023 Paris Air Show, highlighting TORAYCA carbon fiber, thermoset materials, and thermoplastic composites. The company facilitated large-scale composite adoption in commercial and general aviation and advanced next-generation programs through innovative product launches, reaffirming its leadership in aerospace materials innovation.