Geneva– In a move aimed at strengthening airline operational resilience amid ongoing aerospace supply chain disruptions, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and th e International Airlines Technical Pool (IATP) have announced a strategic cooperation agreement designed to improve airlines’ access to aircraft parts, maintenance resources, and technical expertise.
The partnership comes at a critical time for the global aviation industry, where shortages of aircraft components, delayed engine overhauls and extended maintenance turnaround times continue to disrupt fleet availability. Airlines worldwide have faced mounting operational challenges as manufacturers and suppliers struggle to restore production capacity following the pandemic, while strong passenger demand has accelerated the need for aircraft maintenance and spare parts.
By combining IATP’s long-established aircraft materials pooling network with IATA’s digital maintenance platforms and technical programs, the two organizations aim to give airlines faster access to serviceable components while improving visibility across available inventories.
“Supply chain constraints continue to create operational and financial pressure for airlines,” said Stuart Fox, IATA’s Director of Flight and Technical Operations.
“Addressing these challenges requires practical cooperation across the industry. By combining IATP’s technical pooling expertise with IATA’s technical expertise, we can help airlines access serviceable materials and strengthen maintenance resilience.”
Tackling an Industry-Wide Challenge
The aviation sector has spent the past several years navigating one of its most significant supply chain crises in decades. Persistent shortages of engines, avionics, landing gear components, and other critical parts have forced airlines to ground aircraft for extended periods, lease replacement capacity, and delay maintenance schedules.
The situation has been compounded by labour shortages throughout the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) industry, longer lead times from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and increasing demand for new aircraft deliveries.
Industry observers note that while manufacturers continue expanding production, supply bottlenecks are expected to remain a challenge through the remainder of the decade, making collaborative solutions increasingly important.
Against this backdrop, IATA and IATP believe better sharing of available resources can help airlines maintain fleet availability while reducing unnecessary procurement costs.
“For decades, IATP has enabled airlines to share critical technical resources through pooling,” said Giorgio Pietra, Chief Executive Officer of IATP.
“The validity of the IATP pool model is even more evident during the current critical situation. This cooperation with IATA recognizes that pooling and digital materials visibility are complementary tools, helping airlines access the parts and support they need to maintain operations during supply chain disruption.”
Two Strategic Areas of Cooperation
The agreement focuses on two principal initiatives designed to improve operational efficiency across airline maintenance networks.
Improving Access to Aircraft Materials
The first initiative centers on expanding airline access to serviceable aircraft materials through closer integration between IATP’s pooling programs and IATA’s MRO SmartHub platform.
Under the agreement, IATA will support IATP’s technical materials pooling network, allowing participating airlines to draw upon shared inventories of aircraft parts, specialised equipment and maintenance capabilities. Rather than purchasing rarely used components individually, airlines can access shared inventories maintained across the global network, reducing costs while improving aircraft availability.
At the same time, IATA’s MRO SmartHub will enhance visibility of available parts by providing participating airlines with improved data on inventory location, availability and valuation. The platform is intended to simplify procurement decisions and shorten the time required to source urgently needed components.
Strengthening Safety and Technical Cooperation
The second pillar of the partnership focuses on expanding collaboration in technical operations, safety management, and quality assurance.
The organizations will exchange technical expertise, operational best practices, and guidance materials to help airlines strengthen maintenance standards and regulatory compliance.
This includes greater alignment with established IATA programs such as the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) and the IATA Safety Connect community platform, both of which support airlines in maintaining internationally recognized safety standards.
Expanded Access to MRO SmartHub
Alongside the cooperation agreement, IATA announced that it will broaden access to the core features of its MRO SmartHub platform through a new data participation program.
Eligible airlines from participating industry associations—including IATA, IATP, and the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA)—will be able to access the platform’s core capabilities free of charge, with the initiative expected to expand over time.
Fox said wider participation will improve industry-wide transparency during a period when identifying available aircraft materials has become increasingly difficult.
“Improving visibility of available aircraft materials is essential to helping airlines manage today’s supply chain challenges,” he said.
“Broader access to MRO SmartHub will help airlines identify serviceable parts more efficiently, support better materials management, and complement existing industry pooling programs.”
Originally launched in 2019, MRO SmartHub has recently undergone a significant upgrade. The enhanced system now provides deeper analytics into materials availability, inventory trends, usage patterns and emerging parts shortages. It also enables airlines to identify verified inventories from accredited suppliers, improving procurement planning and helping maintenance organizations source components more efficiently.
Greater adoption of the platform is expected to improve participation in collaborative pooling programs while reducing delays associated with component shortages.
Global Technical Pooling Network
At the center of the agreement is IATP’s extensive global technical pooling network, which has operated for decades as a cooperative framework enabling airlines to share critical operational resources.
The organization’s network currently provides members with access to more than 6,600 aircraft parts across approximately 350 stations worldwide, line maintenance support at over 900 locations, and global aircraft recovery assistance.
These shared resources enable participating airlines to respond more rapidly to unexpected aircraft-on-ground (AOG) situations, minimize maintenance-related disruptions, and reduce inventory carrying costs.
“These capabilities help airlines maintain fleet availability, reduce costs, and maintain operational continuity in an increasingly challenging operating environment,” said Essam Hanafy, Chairman and Custodian of IATP.
Industry Collaboration Becoming Increasingly Essential
The agreement reflects a broader trend across the aviation sector toward greater collaboration in addressing supply chain vulnerabilities. Rather than relying solely on manufacturers to restore component availability, airlines are increasingly turning to shared inventories, digital marketplaces and cooperative maintenance networks to improve operational resilience.
As fleet utilization continues to rise and maintenance demand remains elevated, initiatives that improve visibility, resource sharing, and technical cooperation are expected to play an increasingly important role in helping airlines navigate ongoing supply chain uncertainty.
The IATA-IATP partnership signals that industry organizations see collaboration—not only increased manufacturing output—as a key part of strengthening the global aviation maintenance ecosystem in the years ahead.
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