Global Aircraft Flooring Market - Forecast(2023 - 2028)

Global Aircraft Flooring Market Report Overview

The global aircraft flooring market size is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 5.5% during the forecast period 2022-2027. While being extremely lightweight, flooring is a structural part of the aircraft and is considered integral as it is required to withstand a high level of shear force in order to brace the floor beams of the aircraft in the event of a crash. This is of key importance in lighter aircraft such as business jets and regional aircraft as they have lighter under-floor structures compared to large commercial jets. The use of composites such as carbon fiber has significantly increased in aircraft as they are lightweight and durable. Aircraft flooring provides a flat surface for passengers and crew to walk upon and also provides attachment points for different furnishings and components. Advances in widely-used materials like Nomex and aluminum honeycomb are used to make aircraft flooring more durable by minimizing weight will help airlines achieve better fuel efficiency. The growth of air traffic from the Asia-Pacific region drives the demand for new aircraft and in turn the global aircraft flooring market.

COVID-19 Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic had a severe impact on severe industries including the aerospace industry. The aerospace industry was one of the very first sectors that was affected by the pandemic. As cases surged, world governments struggled to stop the spread of infection and introduced border closures, travel bans, and restrictions as a result of which flights were grounded. To date, in certain countries like India, international flights remain suspended. The aerospace industry has been among the worst hit by the pandemic, with many airlines forced to suspend operations which also led to layoffs. The International Air Transport Association (IATA), Airport Council International (ACI), and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) predict that the sector will take at least 3-4 years to roll back to pre-pandemic levels. It was expected that with the vaccine rollout, 2021 would be a recovery year but with new variants such as Delta and Omicron being discovered, the aerospace industry is back to square one with flight cancellations. For instance, owing to a spike in the cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus, nearly 3,000 international flights have been canceled and more than 12,000 have been delayed globally on 27 December 2021, according to the tracking website Flightradar24. Such uncertainty has in turn affected the global aircraft flooring industry.

Report Coverage

The report: “Global Aircraft Flooring Market – Forecast (2022-2027)”, by IndustryARC, covers an in-depth analysis of the following segments of the global aircraft flooring industry.

By Product: Honeycomb (Nomex, Aluminum, and Others), Nylon, Composites, PVC Galley Mats, Wool, and Others
By Aircraft Type: Narrow Body, Wide Body, Jets, Cargo Planes, and Others
By Application: Entryways, Galleys, Aisles, and Lavatories
By End User: OEMs and Aftermarket
By Geography: North America (USA, Canada, and Mexico), Europe (UK, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Russia, Belgium, and Rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, Indonesia, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Rest of APAC), South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, and Rest of South America), Rest of the World (Middle East, and Africa)

Key Takeaways

• North America dominates the global aircraft flooring market, owing to the well-established aerospace and defense industry in the region.
• The core material of aircraft honeycomb floor panels is aluminum honeycomb core, which is a typical porous structure. Its low density and lightweight characteristics meet the special requirements for manufacturing aircraft flooring.
• The major opportunity for this market is high research spending and development of electric aircraft due to rising aviation fuel prices which will lead to the use of innovative flooring material.

Figure: North America Global Aircraft Flooring Market Revenue, 2021-2027 (US$ Million)

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Global Aircraft Flooring Market Segment Analysis – By Product

The honeycomb segment held the largest share in the global aircraft flooring market in 2021 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.1% during the forecast period. The use of honeycomb panels in aircraft flooring provides the advantage of lightweight material in combination with an array of beneficial properties including durability, strength, stiffness, impact and crush-resistance, shear strength, flammability resistivity properties, sound, and thermal insulation. Nomex and aluminum honeycomb are extremely lightweight with high-temperature resistance. So, they have associated benefits of high-speed and low fuel consumption, resulting in improved airline profits. Aluminum honeycomb has a lower density and is lighter than other common sheet materials. Therefore, aluminum honeycomb panels can save a lot of energy while achieving lightweight applications. However, Nomex, being 20% lighter than aluminum, is a more preferred material by aircraft manufacturers. Typically, commercial aircraft flooring is about 1cm thick and is made of glass or carbon fiber with a Nomex honeycomb core. Moreover, the Nomex honeycomb structures have a longer lifespan than aluminum honeycomb. In aviation, a general rule-of-thumb is that each 1% reduction in weight leads to a reduction in fuel consumption of about 0.75%. For instance, United Airlines’ new cargo containers are about 80lbs lighter which have saved United 2 million gallons of fuel per year. According to the Air Transport Association, every dollar increase per barrel (42 gallons) drives an additional $415 million in annual fuel expenses for U.S. passengers and cargo airlines. Fuel expenses range from 25-40% of the total airline operating costs. Being lightweight, honeycomb sandwich panels are used extensively for flooring in both military and commercial aircraft. Therefore, the honeycomb segment is set to dominate the global aircraft flooring market during the forecast period.

Global Aircraft Flooring Market Segment Analysis – By Type

The narrow body segment held the largest share up to 30% in the global aircraft flooring market in 2021. A narrow-body airplane refers to an airplane that has a single aisle of seats. The signal aisle used in narrow-body airplanes typically has two to six seats per row. They are often used to operate short-haul international flights and domestic flights. A narrow-body aircraft can carry up to as many as 300 passengers. According to Boeing’s Commercial Market Outlook 2021, the demand for more than 32,500 new single-aisle planes is about equal to the pre-pandemic outlook. These models continue to command 75% of deliveries in the 20-year forecast. Given the current pandemic, airlines are trying to stay afloat and one way of this is by increasing their domestic operations. For instance, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India, the number of passengers who flew on domestic carriers in October 2021 increased by 70.5% over the corresponding figures during the same period in 2020. As narrow-body aircraft are used for domestic flights, this boosts the aerospace industry and in turn the global aircraft flooring market.

Global Aircraft Flooring Market Segment Analysis – By Geography

North America held the largest share in the global aircraft flooring market in 2021 up to 40%, owing to the well-established aerospace and defense industries in the region. According to Airlines for America (A4A), commercial aviation contributes 5% of U.S. GDP, the equivalent of $1 trillion annually. Two of the world’s largest airline manufacturing companies, Boeing and Lockheed Martin are headquartered in the U.S. According to Boeing, its primary customer in the defense segment is the United States Department of Defense (U.S. DoD). Revenues from the U.S. DoD, including foreign military sales through the U.S. government, accounted for approximately 83% of Boeing’s 2020 revenues. According to the Boeing Defense and Space Market Outlook 2021-2030, the data indicates a total US$2.6 trillion global market. The United States represents nearly 60% of the total market. In April 2021, the U.S. Government announced its plans to invest $25 billion into airport infrastructure. The Biden administration plans to request $715 billion for military spending for FY 2022, up from $704 billion allocated in FY 2020. Hence, North America is projected to dominate the aerospace market and thereby also the global aircraft flooring market.

Global Aircraft Flooring Market Drivers

Increasing Orders for New Aircraft

Following a very challenging 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 was said to be a year of recovery. With vaccinations being the main focus, cargo aircraft were needed to deliver the vaccines and it was predicted that countries would allow travel if the situation improves. The two major commercial plane makers reflect this. As of November 2021, Boeing delivered 302 aircraft, more than twice the 118 aircraft it delivered in the first 11 months of 2020. As of September 2021, Airbus delivered 424 aircraft, compared to 341 in the first nine months of 2020. In anticipation of the revival of travel, airlines began preparing to add new aircraft to their fleet and new destinations as well. For instance, Boeing received an order for 72 MAX jets from India's Akasa Air, a deal valued at nearly $9 billion at list prices. Delta Airlines has purchase rights for an additional 70 A321neos from Airbus. The airline expects to take delivery of its first A321neo in the first half of 2022, with deliveries of these aircraft continuing through 2027. Thus, the increasing orders for new aircraft boost the aerospace industry and thus drives the demand for aircraft flooring. 

Growth of Air Traffic from Asia-Pacific and the Middle East

Over the past decade, Asia-Pacific has become the fastest-growing region in the aviation industry. The region’s huge population, and the percentage of that population that now has enough disposable income to make air travel a viable option means that air travel has gone up in the region. This has also opened up the market for a lot of low-cost carriers. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), by 2036 China will be producing an additional 2.1 billion travelers a year. According to the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines, domestic travel in the Asia-Pacific region seems to be recovering well, with traffic in September 2021 reaching 67% of what it was in the same period of 2020. Domestic capacity in some countries is at 80% due to relaxation of internal restrictions. Air cargo demand reached 83% of its 2019 level in September 2021. The world's busiest airport for international travel, Dubai International Airport registered passenger traffic growth by almost 20% to reach 20.7 million passengers in October 2021. This surge is expected to continue towards the recovery of the sector owing to the combined impact of the relaxation of global restrictions on travel, the opening of Expo 2020 Dubai, the Dubai air show 2021, and the Dubai Shopping Festival. Thus, the growth of air traffic from the Middle East and Asia-Pacific drives the aerospace industry and thus impacts the global aircraft flooring market.

Global Aircraft Flooring Market Challenges

Consciousness over Air Travel in Europe

Passenger numbers are dropping on domestic and short-haul routes within Europe owing to emission concerns even before the pandemic. Airlines such as KLM are encouraging passengers to use trains on shorter journeys to reduce the environmental impact of flying. Europe in general is very climate-conscious and has implemented various strategies across all sectors to reduce emissions. The flygskam (flight shame) movement of 2018 began in Sweden, where climate activists encouraged passengers to take the train over flights for short-distance travel. The idea behind the movement is to convince travelers to opt for more eco-friendly means of transportation. According to an article from the BBC, around 2.4% of global CO2 emissions come from aviation. Together with other gases and the water vapor trails produced by aircraft, the industry is responsible for around 5% of global warming. 2021 was designated as the European Year of Rail and rail is a central element of Europe’s Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy. Sustainability is a key transportation factor as Europe races towards its net-zero goals. Rail generates approximately 4 to 6 times less CO2 emissions than travel by car. Compared to air travel, rail is also a greener option, generating about 10 to 15 times less CO2 emissions per passenger. This could prove to be a challenge for the aviation industry in Europe and also affect the market for aircraft flooring in the region. 

Global Aircraft Flooring Industry Outlook

Technology launches, acquisitions, and R&D activities are key strategies adopted by players in this market. Global Aircraft Flooring top 10 companies include:

1. Avcorp Industries Inc.
2. Cobham Plc
3. Cooper Standard
4. Euro-Composites S.A.
5. Luminator Aerospace
6. Collins Aerospace
7. The EnCore Group
8. Comtek Advanced Structures Ltd.
9. Triumph Composite Systems
10. Zodiac Aerospace

Recent Developments

• In December 2021, Comtek announced the launch of Cargo Panels for the E-Jet family of airplanes. The new panels add to Comtek’s existing portfolio of floor part numbers on the E-Jet, building upon our upgrade panels for passenger areas, which offer improved stiffness, strength, and dent resistance over OEM-supplied panels
• In November 2021, Collins Aerospace inaugurated a new interiors facility in Lenexa, Kansas near Kansas City. The new facility has a focus on engineering, new product development, unique manufacturing processes, and robust maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) service area to strengthen the growth of Collins’ Interior Products portfolio and aftermarket service and support organization.

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