Aircraft Nacelle and Thrust Reverser Market

Updated on : May 10, 2023

The Aircraft Nacelle and Thrust Reverser Industry is projected to grow from USD 4.2 billion in 2021 to USD 5.6 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 6.0% during the forecast period.

The aviation industry is keen on bringing down the carbon footprints to achieve a sustainable environment and meet the stringent regulatory standards on emissions. Aircraft nacelles are enclosed housing for turbine engines, which are manufactured in a streamlined manner to reduce the effects of drag on the aircraft.

Thrust reversers are a part of the entire engine nacelle system that is used to slow down the aircraft after their touchdown on landing by redirecting the exhaust gases. Many thrust reversers include clamshell doors that open and close at specific times. Passenger planes and big freight jets are the most prevalent aircraft with thrust reverser systems. While certain aircraft, such as military planes, may employ reverse thrust while in the air to execute steep descents, it is usually only used on the ground. The thrust reversers on private and commercial airplanes are protected by safety features that prevent them from deploying while the plane is in the air.

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COVID-19 impact on the Aircraft Nacelle and Thrust Reverser Market

The COVID-19 outbreak has led to several challenges for various industries such as aviation and consumer electronics. These industries faced many economic problems post the COVID-19 outbreak.

Since the beginning of the outbreak, the civil aviation industry has been among the most severely hit sectors globally. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) actively monitor the economic impact on the aviation industry and regularly publish reports and forecasts. As per a recent report published by IATA, below is the financial impact on the aviation sector, by country, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aircraft Nacelle and Thrust Reverser Market Segment Overview

The Exhaust System is Estimated to Lead the Market in 2020

Typically, exhaust system is a component of the aircraft nacelle and thrust reverser system. Based on End User, the Exhaust System of the market is accounted for the largest share during the forecast period.

The production of exhaust system is expected to scale up rapidly in the coming decade due to rapid developments in technological pathways. Countries such as Canada, France, and China are contributing significantly to the long-term productivity plans.

The Aircraft Nacelle Segment is Expected to Grow at the Highest CAGR During the Forecast Period

Based on product type, the aircraft nacelle and thrust reverser is segmented into below Thrust Reverser, aircraft reverser, engine build-up unit, exhaust system.

The Aircraft Nacelle segment of the aircraft nacelle and thrust reverser market is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The production of exhaust system is expected to scale up rapidly in the coming decade due to rapid developments in technological pathways. Countries such as Canada, France, and China are contributing significantly to the long-term productivity plans.

North America is Expected to Grow at the Highest CAGR During the Forecast Period

United States is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The countries such as United States and Canada in North America are focused on investing in the aviation industry to keep up with Europe and Chinese manufacturers.

With supportive policies and initiatives to decarbonize aviation emissions, the North American market is deemed to be one of the strong demand centers for Aircraft parts and components.

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Top 5 Market Key Players in Aircraft Nacelle and Thrust Reverser Industry

The Aircraft Nacelle and Thrust Reverser Companies are dominated by globally established players such as

• Safran (France),
• Spirit AeroSystems (US),
• FACC AG (Austria),
• Barnes Group Inc (US), and
• Woodward (US) among others.

These key players offer various products and services such as aircraft nacelles, thrust reversers, exhaust systems to aircraft manufacturers. Private and small enterprises in the aircraft nacelle and thrust reverser market include Aernnova Aerospace S.A. (Spain), Magellan Aerospace Corporation (Canada), Collins Aerospace (US), The NORDAM Group (US), and GKN Aerospace (UK).

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Aircraft Nacelle and Thrust Reverser Market Scope

Aircraft Nacelle and Thrust Reverser Market Dynamics:

Driver: Increased Aircraft Purchases

The increase in new aircraft sales across the globe is one of the key factors driving the growth of the market. As increased number of airline companies are looking to expand their aircraft fleet and customer carrying capacity or replace aging aircraft, the demand for aircraft has been increasing.

The New York Times, in an article, said that Boeing’s sales increased in 2021, compared to their highest level since 2018. Many airlines like United Airlines made their biggest purchase ever by ordering 270 new aircraft from Boeing, and Allegiant Air bought 50 new Boeing 737 MAX jets. The new owners of Jet Airways plan to buy at least 100 narrow-body aircraft and were in talks with Boeing and Airbus for the purchase. In 2021, Amazon made its first aircraft purchase of 11 Boeing 737-300 jets to build its transportation and delivery network. PNC reported in an article that there is a rise in new aircraft purchases as used aircraft availability has declined, which has resulted from the financial crisis. PNC found that, of all the used aircraft, approximately 6.8% of the heavy jet fleet is available for sale, while 8.5% of the medium jet fleet and 10.8% of the light jet fleet is available for sale. In 2021, Honeywell released a forecast that showed a quick rebound for business aviation as the flight hours and purchase plans show growth.

Restraint: Repair and Maintenance of Composite Materials

Aircraft nacelles and thrust reversers are manufactured from composite materials and developed according to specific aircraft designs and cannot be remolded or reused in other applications.

Moreover, the cost of composite materials is also higher than other types of aerospace materials, making the replacement of aircraft nacelles and thrust reversers from composite materials challenging. Aircraft nacelles and thrust reversers developed from composite materials are difficult to repair or remold and hence, need to be completely replaced, which increases the cost of aircraft maintenance.

In addition, these composite nacelles and thrust reversers need to be handled carefully as any damage during their manufacturing, assembling, or transportation not only increases the cost of operations but also results in the delayed delivery of aircraft. Thus, recyclability issues associated with composite materials act as a restraining factor for the growth of the aircraft nacelle and thrust reverser market.

Opportunity: Hydrogen Propulsion Nacelles

As aircraft manufacturers are investing and developing hydrogen-powered aircraft to reduce carbon emissions, H3 Dynamics, based in Singapore, has successfully tested the world's first integrated hydrogen-electric powertrain nacelle, which is meant to provide distributed propulsion for a variety of aircraft sizes.

The company's hydrogen propulsion design distributes many integrated powertrains in modular nacelles beneath the wing rather than a single centralized, fuselage-mounted fuel-cell system.

The hydrogen storage, fuel-cell system, hybrid battery pack, and electric motor are all integrated into a nacelle that can function as a single propulsion unit or as part of a distributed propulsion system.

A swappable storage system can hold both gaseous and liquid hydrogen, and the concept can be scaled up in terms of size and number of nacelles to meet the propulsion needs of unmanned and manned freight and passenger aircraft. H3 wants to start with smaller unmanned platforms, such as the Hywings H-25, a freight drone with two engine nacelles and a maximum takeoff weight of 25 kg (55 lb.) carrying a 5-kilogram payload. H3 conducted wind tunnel testing of a long-range unmanned hydrogen test aircraft in Toulouse in December 2021, after closing a USD 26 million Series B funding round. Under the Mermoz program, flight testing are expected to commence in the first quarter of 2022. H3's engineering facilities in Toulouse and Austin, Texas, are working on hydrogen-electric propulsion.

Challenge: High R&D Costs in Development of New Technologies for Aircraft Nacelles and Thrust Reversers

High R&D costs involved in the development of new technologies for aircraft nacelles and thrust reversers pose a challenge to manufacturers. Aircraft nacelles and thrust reversers comprise fan cowls, engine cowls, and thrust reversers that need to be of high quality, resulting in high costs.

Aircraft nacelles and thrust reversers and their subcomponents must be highly accurate in terms of design, functionality, and specifications and must adhere to various government regulations issued to ensure the safety of onboard passengers and crew. As such, several leading companies are carrying out R&D activities to develop technologies to manufacture high-performance and high-quality aircraft nacelles and thrust reversers and their subcomponents. For instance, GKN is planning to open an R&D center in the US for the development of metal powders to be used in the 3D printing of aircraft nacelles and thrust reversers and their components.

Aircraft Nacelle and Thrust Reverser Market Ecosystem

Aircraft manufacturers, suppliers of aircraft nacelles and thrust reverser systems, companies providing aftermarket services, and end consumers such as commercial airlines and defense are the key stakeholders in the aircraft nacelles and thrust reverser systems ecosystem. Investors, funders, academic researchers, integrators, service providers, and licensing authorities serve as major influencers in the market.

Aircraft Nacelle and Thrust Reverser Industry Categorization:

This research report categorizes the aircraft nacelle and thrust reverser based on End User, Material, Product, Platform, Engine Type, Aircraft Type and Region.

By End User

• Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)
• Aftermarket

By Material

• Composites
• Alloys
• Stainless Steel

By Product

• Thrust Reverser
• Aircraft Nacelle
• Engine Build-up Unit
• Exhaust System

By Engine Type

• Turbofan
• Turboprop
• Turboshaft

By Aircraft Type

• Fixed Wing
• Military Aviation
• Rotary Wing

By Region

• North America
•  Europe
• Asia Pacific
• Middle East
• Latin America
• Africa

Recent Developments in Aircraft Nacelle and Thrust Reverser Industry

• In February 2022, Safran Nacelles and Satair Group signed a supply contract that made Safran a lifetime supplier for supply chain services of A340 -500/600 engine nacelle spare parts and components.
• In July 2021, Spirit AeroSystems and Albany Engineered Composites formally entered a collaboration agreement to deliver a suite of differentiated technical and industrialized solutions to support hypersonic program developments.
• In October 2021, Barnes Aerospace extended its long-term agreement with ITP Aero. The agreement was for the manufacture of components and assemblies for the Trent XWB engine program.
• In January 2020, Woodward and Hexcel teamed up on the belief that the companies together could operate more efficiently and devote more resources to next-gen materials.
• In February 2022, Triumph Group announced that its company Triumph Interiors was awarded a contract by Airbus to design, manufacture, and provide full program lifecycle support on the primary thermal acoustic insulation system for the Airbus Canada A220 aircraft.

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