IATA, IATP partner to boost airline supply chain resilience
IATA and IATP partner to improve aircraft parts access, strengthen maintenance and boost airline resilience.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the International Airlines Technical Pool (IATP) have announced a new cooperation agreement aimed at helping airlines improve access to aircraft parts and strengthen supply chain resilience amid ongoing disruptions across the aerospace sector. The collaboration, announced in Madrid, will combine IATP’s aircraft materials pooling capabilities with IATA’s technical and digital solutions to support airline maintenance operations, improve parts visibility and reduce operational pressure caused by supply chain constraints.
The agreement comes at a time when airlines continue to face shortages of aircraft components, higher maintenance costs and operational challenges linked to delays in global aerospace supply chains.
Under the partnership, IATA and IATP will focus on two key priorities.
The first area is improving airline access to serviceable aircraft materials. Through the agreement, IATA will support IATP’s technical materials pooling programmes, enabling airlines to access shared aircraft parts, equipment and maintenance resources. At the same time, IATA’s MRO SmartHub platform will complement these efforts by improving visibility into available aircraft components and helping airlines assess inventory value and availability more efficiently.
The second focus area of the agreement is strengthening technical, safety and quality cooperation across the industry. Both organisations will increase the exchange of technical knowledge and best practices related to aircraft operations, maintenance quality and safety management.
This collaboration will include the use of established IATA programmes and guidance tools such as the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) programme and the IATA Safety Connect community platform. Alongside the partnership, IATA also announced broader access to its MRO SmartHub platform to support airline operational resilience.
Under a new data participation programme, the core capabilities of MRO SmartHub will be made available at no cost to eligible airlines associated with participating organisations including IATA, IATP and ALTA, with scope for expansion over time.Originally launched in 2019 and recently upgraded, MRO SmartHub provides airlines with deeper analytics on materials availability, usage trends and parts shortages. The platform also enables users to identify serviceable inventories from accredited suppliers, supporting more efficient procurement and materials planning.
IATP’s technical pooling network currently gives member airlines access to more than 6,600 aircraft parts across 350 stations, line maintenance support at more than 900 locations and worldwide aircraft recovery services.
The agreement reflects wider industry efforts to improve collaboration and strengthen supply chain resilience as airlines continue managing maintenance requirements and operational reliability across global networks.
