ASA/AFRA 2026: The themes shaping the aviation aftermarket

AerFin’s Chief Operating Officer, Simon Bayliss, and Chief Commercial Officer, James Bennett, recently attended the ASA/AFRA Conference in Las Vegas, joining aviation aftermarket leaders from across the world to discuss the opportunities and challenges shaping the sector.

Bringing together airlines, lessors, MROs, OEMs and aftermarket specialists, the conference provided valuable insight into how the industry is responding to ongoing market pressures and preparing for the years ahead.

While the conversations covered a wide range of topics, several clear themes emerged.

Supply chain pressures continue to drive change

Supply chain disruption remains one of the defining challenges facing the aviation industry.

Continued constraints affecting key engine programmes, particularly GTF and LEAP platforms, are influencing maintenance planning, fleet decisions and material availability across the market. These pressures are also creating opportunities for younger aircraft to enter disassembly programmes earlier than many would have anticipated historically.

As a result, access to serviceable material and the ability to respond quickly to customer requirements remain critical.

Asset management is becoming increasingly strategic

Discussions throughout the conference highlighted the growing importance of effective asset management in maximising value and supporting operational resilience.

With market conditions continuing to evolve, organisations are placing greater emphasis on data-driven decision making, platform selection, and long-term asset planning. The ability to identify value, respond to changing market dynamics, and optimise asset performance is becoming an increasingly important differentiator.

For AerFin, this aligns closely with our focus on helping customers maximise value throughout the asset lifecycle.

A changing view of aircraft disassembly

The industry continues to see growing interest in aircraft and engine disassembly as a strategic source of material.

Younger aircraft entering teardown programmes is a trend that generated significant discussion throughout the event, driven in part by supply chain challenges and the ongoing demand for high-quality used serviceable material.

As operators and lessors seek flexible solutions to manage assets and support fleet requirements, teardown activity is playing an increasingly important role in the wider aviation ecosystem.

The new normal for turnaround times

Another recurring theme was the industry’s adjustment to longer turnaround times.

While there remains a desire across the market to improve maintenance performance, many industry leaders acknowledged that a return to pre-pandemic turnaround times is becoming increasingly unlikely. Instead, businesses are adapting their strategies around what is now widely viewed as a new operating environment.

This places even greater importance on planning, asset availability and trusted partnerships capable of helping organisations navigate operational challenges.

Contributing to the conversation

As part of the conference programme, AerFin Chief Commercial Officer James Bennett joined other industry leaders Lee Carey, Chief Investment Officer at EirTrade, Richard Brown, Managing Director of NAVEO Consultancy, and Scott Butler, Chief Commercial Officer at KP Aviation, for the panel session “Navigating End of Service: Data Driven Asset Valuation”.

The panel explored the platforms attracting investment, changing origination opportunities and the impact that ongoing GTF and LEAP supply chain challenges are having on aircraft disassembly activity. Discussions also highlighted a growing acceptance that maintenance turnaround times are unlikely to return to pre-pandemic levels, underlining the importance of strategic asset management and access to material.

The session reflected many of the themes discussed throughout the wider conference and reinforced AerFin’s focus on helping customers maximise value throughout the asset lifecycle.

Looking ahead

Reflecting on the event, Simon Bayliss said:

“Events such as ASA/AFRA provide valuable opportunities to benchmark our thinking against the wider industry, strengthen existing relationships, and identify emerging trends that may influence our strategy moving forward.

“What was particularly encouraging was that many of the challenges being discussed across the industry are areas where AerFin continues to build capability and differentiate itself. The importance of speed, flexibility, integrated solutions, and effective asset management featured heavily throughout the conference and align closely with our own strategic direction.”

The discussions at ASA/AFRA reinforced the importance of collaboration, adaptability and innovative thinking as the aviation aftermarket continues to evolve.

At AerFin, we remain focused on helping customers navigate these challenges through flexible solutions, expert asset management, and a commitment to delivering value throughout the aviation lifecycle.