Aircraft Fuel Systems Market by Component (Piping, Pump, Valve, Gauges, Inerting Systems, and Filters); By Engine Type (UAV Engine, Jet Engine, Helicopter Engine, and Turboprop Engine); By Technology (Gravity Feed, Fuel Feed, and Fuel Injection); By Application (Military, Commercial, and UAV); By Geography (North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, South America, and RoW), Industry Trends, Estimation & Forecast, 2018 – 2026

Market Overview

An aircraft fuel system allows fuel to be loaded, stored, managed, and delivered to the propulsion system of an aircraft. Fuel systems vary greatly from aircraft to aircraft because of the relative size and complexity of the aircraft in which they are installed. Aircraft fuel systems are either gravity feed or pump feed systems where an extra pump helps fuel to get to the engine. Each aircraft fuel system must store and deliver clean fuel to the engines at a pressure and flow rate able to sustain operations irrespective of the operating conditions of the aircraft. A fuel tank consists of various components for performing the desired operation such as pumps, gauges, valves, piping, filters, and inerting systems.

Market Dynamics

The rise in aircraft deliveries and growing demand for UAV are the primary factors driving the growth of the global aircraft fuel systems market. For instance, according to India Brand Equity Fund (IBEF), India is expected to become the third-largest aviation market in terms of passenger, by 2024. In addition, in the year 2018, Airbus has signed an agreement with the Chinese government to increase the number of planes it manufacturers in China. Moreover, India is expected to be one of the fastest-growing markets for UAVs and drones because of their ability to transform all key sectors. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) technology has evolved dramatically in the past decades. It is used by both military and common public for entertaining purposes and mapping work. Operating cost for UAV is much economical compared to that of normal aircraft, and it does not require a huge workspace. Additionally, using a UAV in sectors such as infrastructure, agriculture, transport, security, telecommunication, and many others tremendously reduces fuel consumption as compared to commercial aircraft. With oil prices being highly fluctuating, aircraft operators are looking for more fuel-efficient aircraft. The weight of the aircraft plays a very significant role in increasing fuel efficiency aircraft. Aircraft manufacturers investing in developing lightweight aircraft fuel systems is expected to augment the growth of the global aircraft fuel systems market. For instance, Mexican firm Horizontec developed some light aircrafts prototypes in an experimental stage including sport model, UAVs, and other lightweight aircraft. According to The International Trade Administration, Engineering and design activities by the Mexican Government have been very successful and have extended to the production of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and light aircraft projects. Besides, many aircraft component manufacturers are currently investing in 3D printing technology that has reduced the weight of certain parts an average 10% to 30%, saving fuel costs. However, the unwillingness of several aircraft in installing an advanced fuel system is likely to hinder the market growth. Further, rising demand for innovative refueling systems and emergency fuel systems are expected to generate numerous growth prospects for the market in the coming years. For instance, GKN Aerospace Engine Systems, SAFRAN Aero Engines, and GE AVIO partnered and worked together to develop the Open Rotor solution. This program has been run under the European collaborative project Clean Sky, and during 2017 and 2018 the engine came to a full engine test in southern France. This advanced fueling system shows that the propulsion system can deliver up to 20% better fuel consumption at acceptable noise and vibration levels.

Market Segmentation

The aircraft fuel systems market is classified based on aircraft type, component, technology, application, and geography. The aircraft type segment is sub-segmented into a jet engine, UAV engine, turboprop engine, and helicopter engine. On the basis of the component segment, the breakdown is given as pump, piping, value, gauges, filters, and inerting systems. Gravity feed, fuel feed, and fuel injection are the bifurcation of the technology segment. Based on the application segment, the aircraft fuel systems market is categorized into military, commercial, and UAV. Furthermore, geographical coverage has been offered for each of the major regions, including North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, RoW, and South America. Among all the regions, Asia-Pacific dominated the market with the majority of the market share. The market for APAC region is growing as the number of aircraft deliveries in APAC are expected to be the highest over the next five years. Besides factors such as native production of commercial and regional aircraft, increasing the defense budget, and the opening of assembly plants in China by both major commercial aircraft OEMs, i.e. Boeing and Airbus are expected to increase the demand of aircraft fueling systems in the APAC region. However, North America and Europe regions are witnessing a sluggish growth in the market owing to the decrease in their defense spending’s, which is restraining the market from growing.

Key Market Players and Competitive Analysis

The research report also helps to recognize the comprehensive profiles of the key players in the market and an in-depth view of the competitive landscape worldwide. Few of the include Andair LTD, Eaton Corporation Plc, GKN Aerospace Services Limited, Honeywell International, Inc., Meggitt PLC, Parker Hannifin Corp, Senior plc, Triumph Group, Inc., United Technologies Corporation, Woodward, Inc., and Zodiac Aerospace among others. Prominent players are adopting product launch, partnerships/collaborations, agreements, investments, and acquisitions as their business strategies to sustain in the intense competition and improve their product portfolio. For instance, on June 19, 2017, Eaton Corporation Plc introduced COMAC C919. The first Chinese-built passenger aircraft features hydraulic and fuel conveyance systems made by Eaton-SAMC, a joint venture formed by Eaton and Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Co., Ltd. In addition, Eaton followed the COMAC joint venture with another major Chinese program win — AVIC XAC's MA700 regional turboprop airliner. Eaton has signed letters of intent with AVIC Aircraft Co., Ltd (XAC) to supply fuel tank inerting, fuel distribution, and high-pressure ducting systems for the MA700.

Scope of the Global Aircraft Fuel Systems Market

By Component

• Piping
• Pump
• Valve
• Gauges
• Inerting Systems
• Filters

By Engine Type

• UAV Engine
• Jet Engine
• Helicopter Engine
• Turboprop Engine

By Technology

• Gravity Feed
• Fuel Feed
• Fuel Injection

By Application

• Military
• Commercial
• UAV

By Geography

• North America
  • The U.S.
  • Canada
  • Mexico
• Europe
  • UK
  • France
  • Germany
  • Italy
  • Spain
  • Rest of Europe
• Asia-Pacific
  • China
  • Japan
  • India
  • Korea
  • Rest of APAC
• Rest of the World
  • South America
  • Middle East
  • Africa