Aerospace Lubricant Market - Industry Analysis, Market - Forecast(2024 - 2030)

Aerospace Lubricant Market Overview

Aerospace Lubricant Market size is estimated to reach US$4.5 billion by 2030 after growing at a CAGR of 7.3% from 2024-2030. Aerospace Lubricants are the chemical compounds that provide a fluid barrier between various parts of an aircraft and are used as engine oil, hydraulic fluid, piston engine oil and grease, etc. in aircraft. Hence, these lubricants are either mineral-based which is derived from crude oil, or synthetic-based derived from petroleum, but the most common lubricants used in aircraft are calcium sulfonate and perfluoropolyether which are both synthetic based. Hence drivers for the Aerospace lubricant market include an increase in the volume of air passenger traffic, an increase in the number of air fleets by airlines, increase in usage of effective aircraft engines such as turbofans engine. However, the major challenge in the Aerospace lubricant market is that, as the Aerospace lubricants are derived from crude oil, hence the fluctuating price of crude oil disrupts the manufacturing of lubricants. Hence such disruptions caused by price fluctuation have hampered the growth of the Aerospace lubricant industry. 

As sustainability gains prominence, the Aerospace lubricant market is witnessing a notable shift towards bio-based lubricants. Manufacturers are increasingly investing in research and development to formulate lubricants derived from renewable resources, reducing environmental impact and meeting stringent regulatory requirements. The Aerospace lubricant market is experiencing a surge in demand for advanced synthetic lubricants. These high-performance formulations offer superior stability, thermal resistance, and extended service intervals, contributing to enhanced aircraft efficiency and reduced maintenance costs.

COVID-19 Impact

COVID-19 pandemic had negatively impacted the Aerospace lubricant market on a global level, as the restrictions and lockdown imposed by governments all across the globe caused a shortage of labor, decrease in the supply of spare parts due to import-exports restriction, and shutdown of various production plants. Hence all this hampered the productivity of the aerospace sector and reduced the demand for new aircraft. For instance, as per the 2021 report of the General Aerospace Manufacturers Association, the Global business jet deliveries declined 20.4% to 644 aircraft in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As per the 2021 finance report of Boeing, the company saw 40% less funding towards new aircraft deliveries in 2020 compared to 2019, and also the company reduced production of aircrafts 787s & 777s while halting production of 737max. Reduction in the demand and production of new aircraft and halting of maintenance work due to labor shortage reduced the demand for lubricants like grease, engine oil, hydraulic fluids that are used in such aircraft. Hence such reductions in demand negatively impacted the growth of the Aerospace lubricant industry. However, the industry slowly recovered from the pandemic through government support, debt sales, and cost reduction actions.

Market Snapshot :-

Report Coverage

The report: “Aerospace Lubricant Market – Forecast (2024 – 2030)”, by IndustryARC, covers an in-depth analysis of the following segments of the Aerospace Lubricant Industry.
By Product Type – Grease, Hydraulic fluid, Engine Oil, Turbine Oil, Cum Pressure Oil, Special Lubricant & Additives, Others
By Lubricant Type - Synthetic, Mineral based
By Aerospace Type – Commercial, Military, General, Helicopter, Others
By Application Type – Hydraulic system, Engine, Landing gear, Airframe, others
By End User – Original Equipment Manufacturer (Engine cases, Combustor Components, Bearing Housing, Vanes, Manifold, Shaft nuts & gears, Others), Maintenance Repair Overhaul (Rotating components, Stationary seals, Frame & Casings)
By Geography - North America (USA, Canada, Mexico), Europe (UK, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Russia, Belgium, Rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific (China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, Indonesia, Taiwan, Malaysia, Rest of APAC), South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Rest of South America), Rest of the World (Middle East, Africa).

Key Takeaways

• Investments in new-generation aircraft especially in the commercial aircraft segment are continuously growing especially in developing markets such as India. Hence with such an increase in investments in aircraft, the demand for lubricants to be used in them will also increase. 
• Liquid lubricant is pumped throughout the engine to the parts that require lubrication and reduction of friction during engine performance increase the potential power output. Hence due to reason lubricants have high applicability in aircraft engines. 
• North America dominates the Aerospace lubricant market as the region has U.S and Canada is one of the major aircraft manufacturing countries showing a significant increase in their air commute, new orders for aircraft and components.

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Aerospace Lubricant Market Segment – By Product

Engine oil held the largest share in the Aerospace lubricant market in 2023, with a share of over 40%. This owns to factors like high consumption of engine oil during the flight hours as they can be circulated readily and when engine parts are in constant friction the engine oil lubricates them and prevents wear & tear of parts. The increasing usage of advanced engines like turbofan engines in aircraft has positively impacted the demand for engine oil in them. For instance, in July 2023, the deal for LEAP engines, which will power Air India's future fleet of 210 Airbus A320/A321neos and 190 Boeing 737 MAX family aircraft, has been finalized by Air India and CFM International.  A multi-year services agreement covering the airline's whole fleet of LEAP engines was also signed by both businesses. Hence with the usage of such advanced engines, the demand for efficient engine oil like synthetic-based oil that would enable these engines to function well at high temperatures will also increase. Such an increase in engine oil usage will create more demand for Aerospace lubricants, thereby positively impacting the growth of the Aerospace lubricant industry. 

Aerospace Lubricant Market Segment – By Lubricant Type

Synthetic lubricant held the largest share in the Aerospace lubricant market in 2023, with a share of over 35%. This owns to factors like synthetic lubricants like perfluoropolyether and calcium sulfonate provides good thermal-oxidative stability, good deposit control capability and due to low volatility provides superior performance. Hence synthetic lubricants enable jet engines to operate at high temperatures. With the airline companies increasing their aircraft strength to meet the increasing traveling scale of air passengers, hence the necessary amount of lubrication would be required to keep such aircraft in working condition. For instance, in February 2023, the most anticipated airplane of the upcoming years is without a doubt the Airbus A321XLR. With an early 2024 aim for entering service, the European behemoth is presently awaiting certification for the narrowbody. With over 550 orders placed by 26 clients, the XLR is still very popular even though the pandemic threatens to slow things down. Hence with such an increase in the demand for aircraft from major airline companies the demand for high-performance synthetic lubricants like perfluoropolyether will also increase.

Aerospace Lubricant Market Segment – By Aerospace Type

Commercial Aerospace held the largest share in the Aerospace lubricant market in 2023, with a share of over 45%. This owns to factors like increase in the production rate of heavy aircraft commercial airliners in major aircraft manufacturers like Airbus, Raytheon Technologies, United Aircraft Corporation, Boeing, etc. owing to an increase in domestic and international traveling volume, especially in emerging economies like India. For instance, in January 2023, Airbus SE recorded 1,078 gross new orders in 2022 and delivered 661 commercial aircraft to 84 customers. By December 2022, Airbus had 7,239 aircraft on backorder. Hence with the increase in the demand for a commercial airliner, the demand for effective lubricants like calcium sulfonate which is used in engine oil, transmission fluids, gear oil, etc. will also increase. thereby showing a positive impact on the Aerospace lubricant market.

Aerospace Lubricant Market Segment - By Application

The engine held the largest share in the Aerospace lubricant market in 2023, with a share of over 35%. With commercial air transport rapidly developing in various emerging markets like China, India, etc. the demand for new and efficient aircraft models has increased. Hence this has raised the demand for an efficient engine like turbo engines that would be used in these aircraft. For instance, in July 2023, Air India recently finalized orders with the engine manufacturer for over 800 LEAP engines to power its new fleet of 210 Airbus A320neo/A321neo and 190 Boeing 737 MAX family jetliners, strengthening CFM International's market position in India. Hence as the usage of advanced LEAP engines increases, the demand for lubricants like engine oil and grease will also increase, thereby increasing the demand for the Aerospace lubricant market in this segment of the application.

Aerospace Lubricant Market Segment – By End User

Maintenance repair overhaul held the largest share in the Aerospace lubricant market in 2023, with a share of over 40%. The maintenance work consists of base maintenance, line maintenance, and different level checks which an aircraft goes through during its lifetime. To ensure that the aircraft flies efficiently without facing any issues, maintenance work is considered a necessary step. Hence this has led to the creation of agreements between aircraft companies and manufacturers. For instance, in October 2023, Cyprus Airways has chosen Airbus' Flight Hour Services (FHS) to support their A220 Family aircraft, making Airbus the third European FHS customer for an A220 fleet and the sixth FHS contract for an A220 globally, the company revealed. Hence as the maintenance contract of such major aircraft manufacturers increases, this would lead to an increase in usage of lubricants used during the maintenance work. Hence such an increase in usage will positively impact demand for Aerospace lubricants in such aircraft manufacturers. 

Aerospace Lubricant Market Segment – By Geography

North America held the largest share in the Aerospace lubricant market in 2023, with a share of over 30%. This owns to factor like the region being a hub for major aircraft manufacturing companies like Boeing, Embraer in U.S and Bombardier in Canada, and also the region consists one of the largest shares of the world domestics passengers. For instance, in September 2023. As per Airports Council International, It is projected that the North American region will have 2.0 billion passengers by the end of 2023, or 99.8% of the 2019 level, which is close to the 2019 level. Despite the fact that domestic travel drove the region's robust rebound in 2021 and 2022. Hence with a growing number of airline passengers, the demand for more aircraft especially commercial aircraft has increased which has positively impacted the demand for Aerospace lubricants in the U.S and Canadian Aerospace market.

Aerospace Lubricant Market Drivers

Increase in volume of aircraft production

Hence with the increase in demand for defense & commercial aircraft and their components in regions like Europe & North America has led to an increase in the production volume of major aircraft manufacturers like Airbus & Boeing. For instance, in February 2023, the ramp-up trajectory for the A320 Family program has been modified in collaboration with suppliers. Moreover, the company is currently working toward producing 65 aircraft per month by the end of 2024 and 75 aircraft per month by the end of 2026. As anticipated, the monthly manufacturing rate of A330 reached about 3 by the end of 2022, and the company is now aiming for rate 4 by 2024. There are currently six airplanes every month for the A350. After a feasibility analysis with the supply chain and in order to fulfill the increasing demand for widebody aircraft as international air travel recovers, the company is now aiming for a monthly production rate of nine A350s by the end of 2025. Hence with such an increase in the production of major aircraft manufacturers, the Aerospace lubricant like perfluoropolyether to be used in them would also increase thereby positively impacting the Aerospace lubricant industry in terms of lubricant demands. 

Increase in usage of turbofan engines

Modern engines in terms of reliability and efficiency depend directly on the effectiveness of the lubricating system. lubrication is responsible for cooling internal parts of the engine which are acting relative to each other creating friction and heat which results in overheating. The introduction of advanced turbofans engines by major aircraft engine manufacturers like CFM International, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls Royce, etc. has increased their demand by airline companies for their aircraft. For instance, in September 2022, Williams' turbofan engine fleet, which includes about 7,000 FJ44 and FJ33 engines, has accumulated more than 18 million flying hours. The engines are installed on a range of airframes, including the Cessna CJ series, Beechcraft Premier, Cirrus SF50, and Nextant reconditioned light jets. Hence the increase in demand for such advanced turbofan engines has positively impacted the demand for Aerospace lubricants such as calcium sulfonate which would be used as grease, hydraulic fluids in such engines.

Aerospace Lubricant Market Challenges

The fluctuating price of crude oil

Lubricant oil is extracted from crude oil after going through a series of processes like sedimentation, fractioning, hence the lube oil collected after these processes is mixed with additives to create base oil which is used in the manufacturing of Aerospace lubricants like engine oil, piston oil, etc. Hence the price of crude oil keeps fluctuating due to geopolitical, whether or supply chain mishap reasons which disrupt the flow of crude oil to markets. Such disruption leads to irregular production of lubricants thereby causing a misbalance between demand and supply of lubricants. As per the U.S. Energy Information Administration, In 2023, the average price of Brent crude oil was $83 per barrel (b), a $19/b difference after rounding. In 2022, the price was $101/b. With Russia's crude oil finding homes outside of the EU, global markets adjusted to the new trade dynamics, and demand for crude oil fell short of projections worldwide. Such a decrease in crude oil demand reduced the lubricant output for aircraft thereby negatively impacting the Aerospace lubricant market.
Aerospace Lubricant Industry Outlook
The companies to develop a strong regional presence and strengthen their market position, continuously engage in mergers and acquisitions. Aerospace Lubricant's top 10 companies include:

1. Total Group
2. Exxon Mobil Corporation
3. Royal Dutch Shell Plc.
4. Eastman Chemical Company
5. The Chemours Company
6. The Phillips 66 Company
7. NYCO
8. Lukoil
9. Aerospace Lubricant Inc
10. Nye Lubricants

Recent Developments

• In July 2023, A lifecycle sustainability concept for aircraft lubricants is introduced by Shell aircraft. Under the AeroShell brand, Shell Aerospace offers a wide range of Aerospace oils and lubricants.
• In February 2023, in Finland, Sweden, the Baltic nations, and Poland, Neste will launch a new line of lubricants called Neste ReNewTM in the first quarter of 2023. Refined or renewable base oils are combined with premium additives to create new lubricants. The solution gives Nestle's clients the chance to use lubricants in a way that contributes to a more sustainable future while lowering their reliance on products derived from crude oil.

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