Regional Aircraft Operators Develop Custom Spare Parts
As manufacturer support fades, operators are building their own replacement parts to keep regional fleets in the air.
Updated on Oct. 23, 2026 in Auto Parts
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Global regional aircraft operations are facing significant disruptions as shortages of essential spare parts force operators to ground planes or cannibalize airframes. In response, independent maintenance providers are increasingly engineering and certifying their own replacement components to bypass supply chain gaps.
Why it matters
Aircraft manufacturers are shifting focus to newer models, leaving aging regional fleets without official support systems. This shift forces operators to find expensive, alternative solutions to maintain flight operations for regional airframes designed for 30 to 50 years of service.
Of the 1,200 Let L-410 aircraft built, only 93 remain in military service today. Meanwhile, independent manufacturer MHIRJ has expanded its production capacity to 7,000 different regional jet parts to address supply chain bottlenecks.
The players
IATA
The trade association for the world's airlines that monitors operational health and maintenance bottlenecks.
MHIRJ
An aviation manufacturing firm specializing in regional jet components with the capacity to produce 7,000 distinct parts.
Aeroservis
A Czech-based maintenance provider that engineers and certifies replacement components for regional aircraft.
The details
When original parts become unavailable, regional operators face the binary choice of grounding fleets or cannibalizing secondary airframes for parts. Independent maintenance shops, such as those at Brno-Tuřany Airport, are responding by designing and certifying replacement parts internally. This process is complex, as access to technical documentation, proprietary tooling, and approved repair networks remains strictly controlled by the original manufacturers.
Timeline
March 2025: 648 Pratt & Whitney GTF-powered aircraft were grounded.
April 2026: MHIRJ began manufacturing parts to address supply gaps.
June 2026: IATA identified major maintenance, repair, and overhaul bottlenecks.
The Home Front
The aviation industry is grappling with a widening gap between the 30- to 50-year design life of regional airframes and the dwindling support from original manufacturers. This trend echoes the logistical instability seen during the 2025 grounding of 648 Pratt & Whitney GTF-powered aircraft.
While these supply issues affect regional aviation, fleet operators must verify all third-party replacement parts against official airworthiness directives and safety certifications. Operators should maintain a strict registry of secondary components installed to ensure compliance with international aviation safety standards.
The takeaway
The lack of official support for aging regional fleets is forcing a transition toward independent part engineering and certification. Operators should document the provenance of all non-original replacement parts to ensure they meet mandatory safety and airworthiness standards.
Further reading
For broader context on supply chain challenges for technical components, see Auto Parts.
Source note: This article includes information reported by International Business Times.
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