Aviation Week Network Announces 2026 Business Aviation Fleet & MRO Forecast and Helicopter Fleet & MRO Forecast

Textron leads aircraft deliveries; Gulfstream/Bombardier leads values; $155B MRO market; Airbus dominates helicopters; Top 3 hold 78% of $35.8B market

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, November 3, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Aviation Week Network today releases its 2026 Business Aviation Fleet & MRO Forecast and 2026 Helicopter Fleet & MRO Forecast, a 10-year outlook of the respective industries. Produced from independent projections by internal forecasting teams and using data from Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN), the forecasts deliver detailed analysis of fleet growth, delivery trends, market values, and MRO requirements to support strategic decision-making across the aviation sector.

Business Aviation
The forecast findings show the broader, worldwide business aviation fleet growing from 35,730 aircraft in 2026 to 40,504 aircraft in 2035 – a 13% increase in fleet counts with a 1.4% CAGR. The jet fleet segment sees the biggest fleet gains, while business turboprop segment sees more subdued growth, but with single-engine turboprop types replacing multi-engines at a higher 3.9% CAGR. The overall turbine-powered "jet" fleet grows at 1.6% CAGR, but segments within the turbine fleet display above-average growth. Super Mid-Size, Ultra Long Range, and Very Light Jet size categories exhibit growth rates as high as 5% CAGR over 10 years, which means producers of these aircraft can expect favorable future market conditions.

The MRO aftermarket for business aircraft sees a 3.1% CAGR overall, with $155 billion in total demand, 33% of which represents modification requirements, itself growing at a 2.0% CAGR. Meanwhile, with a share of 27% of total demand, engine maintenance is becoming an ever-increasing share of MRO requirements in business aviation.

"The cautious development and introduction of new models into the market and high demand exhibited by solid book-to-bill ratios for legacy aircraft types have put aircraft manufacturers in control. A more normalized used inventory and used aircraft values market are keeping the overall ecosystem on a solid growth trajectory for the near term. We expect new aircraft deliveries to rise by a couple hundred units per year from recent levels with slight softening thereafter," said to Brian Kough, Senior Director, Forecasts & Aerospace Insights, Aviation Week Network. "MRO costs, provider availability, and supply chain issues are concerns with capacity desperately needed in certain sectors."

Helicopters
The worldwide turbine-powered civil helicopter fleet is anticipated to grow 14% at a 1.5% CAGR, reaching over 24,600 units in 2035, up from approximately 21,500. Turbine-powered helicopter deliveries are projected to exceed 6,600 over the decade, while aircraft retirements total just over 3,200 units. This translates to a 1.5% in-service fleet CAGR. Airbus leads deliveries over the 10-year forecast with a 38% share of delivery units. Smaller helicopters lead in unit delivery numbers. The top three helicopter families by delivery volume in rank order are the Airbus H125/H130, the Robinson R66, and the Bell 505 Jet Ranger in third place. Together, the top three manufacturers account for a 78% share of the $35.8 billion retail delivery value over the forecast timeframe.

Aftermarket MRO demand is projected to grow in line with fleet growth at a 1.5% CAGR on a non-inflationary basis. Component MRO is projected to account for a 27% share of the $92.1 billion in total MRO requirements.

The 2026 Business Aviation Fleet & MRO Forecast and 2026 Helicopter Fleet & MRO Forecast findings detail market demands and industry trends, accounting for the impact of economic and macro trends on global fleets and MRO. By combining current fleet counts and statistics, projected aircraft fleet changes, in-house flight data-derived utilization projections, and segmented MRO cost analytics, the forecast delivers critical strategic insights for each market sector.

The 2026 Commercial Fleet & MRO Forecast is also now available, and the 2026 Military Aviation Fleet & MRO Forecast will be available soon.

For more information on Aviation Week Network’s 2025 Fleet & MRO Forecasts or to subscribe, contact Anne McMahon at +1 646 469 1564, anne.mcmahon@aviationweek.com or go to https://aviationweek.com/fleetforecast

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Melissa Crum
Aviation Week Network
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