Japan’s domestic aircraft industry is continuing to grow as demand recovers, with revenue in fiscal 2025 expected to expand 20% year on year to ¥2.4715 trillion. More than 1,500 companies are involved in areas including aircraft fuselages, engine components and interiors, and long-term growth in demand is expected.
Globally, demand continues to recover to pre-pandemic levels according to IATA data, and Japan’s domestic aircraft industry is also expected to grow. Although it faces past challenges, including Boeing’s quality problems, production systems have normalised and demand for aircraft is expected to continue increasing.
In Japan’s domestic aircraft industry, Boeing and Airbus, the finished-aircraft manufacturers, occupy the top of the industry structure. At the same time, numerous companies have strong competitive capabilities in aircraft fuselages, engine components, interiors and materials, with more than 1,500 companies involved in supplying components.
According to a forecast by the Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies, the global in-service fleet of jet aircraft is expected to reach 40,312 aircraft in 2045, 1.5 times the 2025 level. Demand for new, more environmentally efficient aircraft could expand in light of tighter CO2 emissions regulations and the impact of the situation in the Middle East. More than approximately 12,000 next-generation aircraft deliveries are expected in the 2030s, making improvements in each company’s technological capabilities a key factor.
Demand is expected to arise mainly in the MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) business. The more aircraft that are in service, the greater the demand for maintenance. Strategies that do not focus on Japanese companies becoming finished-aircraft manufacturers, but instead enhance their technological capabilities and make them indispensable to such manufacturers, are also attracting attention.