• Locatory.com’s 2025 annual search data shows how air cargo operators, MROs and lessors are increasingly constrained by parts scarcity, ageing fleets and delayed aircraft deliveries.
• Search behaviour reveals immediate operational stress points, with sustained demand for legacy engine, structural and avionics components critical to keeping cargo capacity flying amid prolonged fleet renewal delays.

In 2025, global aviation demand continued to climb, with passenger traffic approaching 5 billion travellers and cargo volumes remaining resilient. For air cargo operators, however, the year was defined less by demand and more by constraint. Delivery backlogs, ageing fleets, parts shortages and workforce limitations continued to place sustained pressure on maintenance operations and fleet availability.

“Throughout 2025, our platform data showed that the aviation aftermarket is entering a new era of complexity that goes well beyond isolated parts shortages,” said Toma Matutyte, CEO of Locatory.com. “With aircraft deliveries delayed, older fleets are remaining in service for longer, creating demand for components that are no longer produced at scale. Real-time visibility into supply and demand is becoming essential for cargo operators seeking to maintain reliability in a constrained environment.”

Unlike shipment statistics or fleet forecasts, search behaviour on Locatory.com reflects immediate operational needs. Each search represents a maintenance action, AOG risk or operational bottleneck faced by airlines, cargo operators, MROs and lessors in real time.

Based on thousands of searches in 2025, Locatory.com analysed the most searched and hardest-to-source components, offering a snapshot of where maintenance pressure was most acute across the global cargo and mixed-use fleet.Ageing fleets keep legacy components in high demand
The most searched parts in 2025 were dominated by hardware and fasteners, underscoring the intensity of structural and life-extension maintenance across older aircraft. Items such as pins, shear bolts, screws, washers, nuts and rivets ranked among the most frequently searched components across Locatory.com’s 10 billion listings.

Demand extended well beyond basic hardware. Carbon brake assemblies, windshields, wheel assemblies, generators, seals and packings all saw strong search activity, reflecting fleets operating well beyond original design assumptions. In 2025, the global commercial fleet averaged 15.1 years of age, significantly above historical norms, while aircraft backlogs exceeding 17,000 units continued to delay replacement capacity.

For air cargo operators in particular, delayed deliveries translated directly into longer utilisation of high-cycle aircraft. Landing gear components such as uplock cylinder assemblies, steering cylinders and associated seals remained in strong demand as narrowbody freighters and converted aircraft accumulated cycles faster than anticipated.

Search data also highlighted continued pressure on engine-related components. Fuel control units, engine gauges, emergency power supply units and HMUs ranked among the most searched items as operators focused on minimising downtime and managing reliability on mature engine programmes.

The data confirms that legacy engines, particularly CFM56-powered fleets, continue to dominate aftermarket sourcing as OEM production and shop capacity remain insufficient to support accelerated fleet renewal. For cargo operators dependent on predictable uplift, engine availability remained a defining constraint throughout 2025.

Avionics and electrical components featured prominently in 2025 searches, reflecting growing obsolescence risk across older freighter and combi aircraft. Items such as flight management computers, DME indicators, smoke detectors, navigation lights and dimmer modules were repeatedly searched as operators struggled to source certified replacements.

Strict certification requirements limit substitution options, meaning even minor electronic failures can result in extended AOG events. As OEM support for certain systems has ended, sourcing a single electronic component increasingly requires weeks of engineering and procurement effort—time that cargo operators often cannot afford.

Locatory.com’s list of hardest-to-source items in 2025 showed that shortages extended well beyond major components. Aerospace-grade lubricants, chemicals and maintenance fluids topped the list, demonstrating how consumables can become system-wide constraints.

Structural materials, hydraulic and pneumatic components, sensors and specialised tooling also remained scarce. Delays in accessing certified tooling directly extended shop visit turnaround times, further tightening available cargo capacity during peak demand periods.

As a result, operators are increasingly shifting towards proactive sourcing strategies: diversifying suppliers, extending aftermarket contracts, pooling parts and using data-driven platforms to reduce uncertainty. With delivery backlogs expected to persist into the early 2030s, supply chain resilience—not just fleet size—will remain a decisive factor in cargo network reliability.