Aircraft Insulation Market Size, Share, Industry, Forecast and Outlook (2024-2031)

Global Aircraft Insulation Market is Segmented By Material (Ceramic Materials, Mineral wool, Foamed Plastics, Fiberglass, Others), By Type (Thermal Insulation, Acoustic & Vibration Insulation, Electric Insulation), By Platform (Fixed Wing, Rotary Wing), By Application (Engine, Aerostructure), By End-User (Commercial, Military, Business & General Aviation, Others), and By Region (North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa) – Share, Size, Outlook, and Opportunity Analysis, 2024-2031

Aircraft Insulation Market Overview

The Global "Aircraft Insulation Market" is estimated to reach at a high CAGR during the forecast period (2024-2031).

Modern commercial jets fly at a high altitude, where the temperature is quite cold. A layer of fiberglass insulation protects the plane's inner skin to keep it warm in the cold. However, after only a few months of operation, this porous insulating material can retain a substantial amount of moisture, resulting in weight gain, insulation degradation, and other corrosion. Many efforts have been made to improve the design of airplane insulation.

It is suggested that the insulation panel be made more airtight or that warm air be injected directly into the insulation panel to evaporate the moisture. Condensate drainage, water collection ducts, and containment drainage bags are proposed for the evacuation or storage of condensed water.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), and Boeing all have laws that govern the materials used for insulation on commercial, military, business, and general aviation aircraft and spacecraft. A significant number of manufacturers and material suppliers compete in this industry.

Aircraft Insulation Market Scope

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Source: DataM Intelligence Analysis (2021)

Aircraft Insulation Market Dynamics

The growing demand for lightweight insulators for modern aircraft is triggering the market share for aircraft insulation in recent times. The tremendous growth in commercial aircraft deliveries and passenger traffic is expected to drive the aircraft insulation market in the forecast period.

The growing demand for lightweight insulators for modern aircraft is triggering the market share for aircraft insulation in recent times.

Chemical companies and paint manufacturers are experiencing a huge demand for lightweight insulators for new aircraft, driving the aircraft insulation industry. The innovative lightweight insulators protect the aircraft's exterior and interior from rainwater leaks, dust and dirt and reduce noise and vibration.

The market for aircraft insulation technology is being driven by the increasing need for lightweight insulators among aircraft manufacturers. Lightweight design involves using less material with a lower density while maintaining or improving technical performance. Applying sophisticated lightweight materials to numerically optimized structures that can be manufactured with appropriate manufacturing methods is a common way to achieve lightweight design for aeronautical components.

As a result, the use of lightweight materials can efficiently reduce weight while also improving performance. For instance, Microlite AA Standard blankets from Johns Manville are lightweight, flexible blankets that provide exceptional thermal and acoustic performance for various aerospace applications where weight and space are important factors.

Aircraft insulation is especially well-suited to insulating the fuselage cavity walls of commercial and business aircraft. Microlite AA Standard blankets come in a wide range of density and thickness options. Microlite AA Premium blankets are a choice for applications that require even more weight reductions, giving an equivalent performance at 20% less weight.

The tremendous growth in commercial aircraft deliveries and passenger traffic is expected to drive the aircraft insulation market in the forecast period.

The global commercial aircraft market is expected to rise rapidly in the forecast period. Airlines are looking to expand their fleets as global travel grows and more accessible to more people. Furthermore, as the airline sector becomes more customer-focused, it is expected to upgrade to a new generation of aircraft to give its passengers unique experiences.

As a result, such changes are expected to aid the global commercial aircraft market's overall growth and add value to the aircraft insulation market in the forecast period. Multiple reasons are assisting in the expansion of the global commercial aircraft industry. The recent increase in air traffic has been one of the most important factors driving industry expansion. Emerging economies, in particular, make significant contributions in this regard, fueling the global market's growth.

Another key reason for the global market's development has been the introduction of new air routes to improve global connectivity. Airline firms are expanding their fleets, leading to improved demand for the next generation of commercial aircraft and triggering the market share for aircraft insulations.

Furthermore, According to ICAO's preliminary compilation of annual global statistics, the total number of passengers transported on scheduled services increased by 6.4% to 4.3 million in 2018, while departures increased by 3.5% to 37.8 million in 2018. Thus growing global aircraft passenger traffic and improving commercial aircraft deliveries are more likely to accelerate the global market for aircraft insulations in the forecast period.

Reduced shelf life and composites recycling is hurdling the growth of aircraft insulations.

Reduced shelf life and composites recycling are significant barriers to airplane insulation. Various aviation authorities, including the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), have severe restrictions for chemical and paint makers, which hurdles the growth of the product across the globe.

Furthermore, insulation firms' composites, paints and chemicals have a short shelf life and must be replaced regularly, and these composites cannot be recycled for reuse. Thus the regular replacement of composites, paints and chemicals increases the maintenance cost of the aircraft industry, thereby creating challenges for the product's market growth.

COVID-19 Impact Analysis

The outbreak of COVID-19 severely impacted the global aircraft insulation market, mainly due to reduced flight activity and the shutdown of aircraft manufacturing units for a limited period. Furthermore, commercial aircraft manufacturers, on the other hand, have reduced their manufacturing rates as demand for new planes has decreased as a result of the pandemic.

With passenger traffic expected to recover in 3-4 years, orders for new commercial aircraft are expected to be lower in the next three years than in the pre-COVID-19 era, which is expected to influence market prospects in the next years. However, some airlines have placed aircraft orders to grow their fleet sizes and cater their services to more customers in recent years, with a positive outlook for regional and global air passenger traffic statistics.

As a result, the OEMs' current order backlog remains significant. Airbus reported a backlog of 7,184 planes by the end of 2020. On the other hand, Boeing had a backlog of 4,223 aircraft by the end of 2020. The mentioned figures show that commercial aircraft deliveries will continue at a high pace over the anticipated period despite a drop in airline demand. Thus the mentioned backlog numbers are more likely to create opportunities for aircraft insulations to grow in the projected period.

Aircraft Insulation Market Segment Analysis

The global aircraft insulation market can be segmented on type, material, application, platform end-user and region.

Ceramic material holds a dominating position in the aircraft insulation market due to its advanced characteristics and high application range in the aircraft industry

The global aircraft insulation market based on material is segmented into ceramic materials, mineral wool, foamed plastics, fiberglass and others. Ceramic materials dominated the aircraft insulation market share in 2019 and are predicted to increase at the fastest rate throughout the forecast period. It is because of their advantageous characteristics, including strong heat resistance, corrosion resistance and lightweight.

Exhaust systems and engines, brakes, bearings, thermal protection shields, seals and other wear-resistant components are just a few of the applications for these materials in aerospace. Furthermore, Heat resistance is achieved using ceramics. Ceramics' heat-insulating characteristics have been known for centuries. The materials are utilized for thermal control in various applications, including batteries, magnets, semiconductors and insulating tiles in aircraft.

Ceramics have been used in constructing spacecraft for various functions, including thermal protection from the external exhaust and inside insulation. Because ceramics are a lighter alternative to metals, they are employed in aircraft and aviation design and manufacture. It enables larger payloads on airplanes, quicker speeds for military-grade jets and longer deadlines for space exploration because the surface is smooth and often free of any surface flaws.

Source: DataM Intelligence Analysis (2021)

Aircraft Insulation Market Geographical Share

Growing emergence of the aircraft manufacturing sector in the area, emerging economies in Asia-Pacific, such as China, India and Japan, are significantly fueling the growth of the aircraft insulation industry,

Asia-Pacific is predicted to grow at the fastest rate in the forecast period. Due to the growing emergence of the aircraft manufacturing sector in the area, emerging economies in the Asia-Pacific, such as China, India and Japan, are significantly fueling the growth of the aerospace industry, which is likely to push demand for aerospace insulation over the forecast period.

Furthermore, Asia-Pacific currently has the biggest market share among all regions due to increasing aircraft purchases. The area is experiencing rapid expansion in air passenger traffic, and China and India are likely to be among the world's largest aviation markets during the forecast period.

Furthermore, due to a significant decline in passenger travel in U.S. due to the COVID-19 outbreak, China will overtake the United States as the world's largest aviation market in 2020. In 2020, China's aviation industry showed indications of revival, owing to an increase in domestic traffic.

As a result, new aircraft should be delivered to Chinese carriers in the future years and hence expected to create opportunities for aircraft insulation in the forecast period. For instance, in a show of solidarity for the domestic manufacturer amid the pandemic, China's three major state-owned airlines postponed delivering nearly 100 aircraft from Boeing and Airbus in 2020. Still, they have kept every single order from COMAC.

Source: DataM Intelligence Analysis (2021)

Aircraft Insulation Market Companies and Competitive Landscape

The global aircraft insulation market is highly competitive with the presence of local and global companies. Some prime companies contributing to the market's growth are Duracote Corporation, Esterline Technologies Corporation, Rogers Corporation, Dupont, BASF SE, 3M, Triumph Group Inc., Zodiac Aerospace, Evonik Industries, Polymer Technologies Inc., Zotefoams and others.              

The major companies are adopting several growth strategies such as acquisitions, product launches and collaborations, contributing to the growth of the aircraft insulation market globally.    

• For instance, in 2019, RUAG MRO Global has completed the first installation in Europe of the thermal, acoustic insulation system based on a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) designed by Aearo Technologies LLC, a 3M company, for the Dassault Falcon F900DX business aircraft.

BASF SE

Overview: BASF SE is a growing German multinational chemical corporation that is the world's largest chemical manufacturer. The company is branched in Europe, Asia, Australia, the Americas, Africa and joint ventures in over 80 countries and operates in six integrated production sites and 390 other production sites.

Product Portfolio: The company has a product portfolio of aircraft insulations that includes:

• Basotect melamine foam: The product is flexible, open-cell foam made from melamine resin, a thermoset polymer. It has a great sound-absorbing capacity as well as good thermal insulation. Basotect melamine foam inherently has excellent fire, smoke and toxicity (FST) properties that meet rigorous aerospace fire standards. The ultra-low density of Basotect UL melamine foam is 6 g/l (0.37 lb/ft3).

Key Development

• For instance, on September 19th, 2018, BASF SE has presented prototypes of the world's first particle foam based on polyethersulfone (PESU). The foam offers unique characteristics such as high-temperature resistance, inherent flame retardancy, and extreme lightweight coupled with excellent stiffness and strength. The material is ideal for complex-shaped components in automobiles, planes and trains that require exceptional mechanical qualities and the capacity to tolerate high operating temperatures or meet severe flame-retardant criteria.

Why Purchase the Report?

• Visualize the aircraft insulation market segmentation by type, material, platform, application, end-user, highlighting key commercial assets and players.
• Identify commercial opportunities in the aircraft insulation market by analyzing trends and co-development deals.
• Excel data sheet with thousands of data points of aircraft insulation market-level 4/5 segmentation.
• PDF report with the most relevant analysis cogently put together after exhaustive qualitative interviews and in-depth market study.
• Product mapping in excel for the key product of all major market players

The global aircraft insulation market report would provide approximately 77 market data tables, 73 figures and 180 pages.