Aging Fleets, Thin Margins, Zero Slack: What 2026 Demands from Maintenance Leaders

By Bethany Little, Chief Executive Officer, Veryon

If you’ve been around aviation maintenance for a while, 2026 probably doesn’t feel like it’s bringing brand-new problems. It feels more like the same ones, just louder and harder to ignore.

Labor shortages are still the number one constraint, and supply chain issues are lingering far longer than anyone planned for. Fleets keep aging, utilization keeps climbing, and MROs are being asked to keep aircraft moving faster with fewer people, less slack, and very little margin for error.

What’s changing for 2026? The tolerance for inefficiency. Operators and MROs who are pulling ahead of their competition in these market conditions know there just isn’t room anymore for repeat work, missed signals, or surprises that could have been avoided.

Veryon’s software platform helps aviation professionals navigate these realities, and in my first year as CEO, I’ve seen just how persistent these constraints really are. With the current state of our global economy, market inefficiencies will likely get more complex, which makes modern technologies with actionable data insight, the real near-term solution and differentiator.

The Constraints Aren’t Temporary

Let’s start with our workforce, because it touches everything.

There simply aren’t enough skilled mechanics to meet demand across regions or fleet types, and that shortage shows up in very real ways. Work gets deferred, troubleshooting takes longer, and experienced technicians end up spending too much time tracking information down instead of fixing the aircraft.

Hiring alone isn’t going to solve it; it requires a new way of working. Team leaders need tangible data intelligence tools to cut down on the time spent deciphering inconsistent logbook entries. Agentic AI makes this all possible, revealing what needs attention now versus what can wait, regardless of a mechanic’s skill level or tenure.

Then there’s the supply chain.

In October 2025, IATA and Oliver Wyman estimated airlines would face more than $11 billion in additional costs tied to ongoing supply chain disruption. That includes billions in extra maintenance and leased engines just to keep aircraft flying when shop visits slip.

When parts are hard to get, every surprise gets expensive. Missed trends, recurring issues that weren’t flagged early, or components failing sooner than expected all add up quickly. Knowing what’s likely to fail and planning around it isn’t a nice-to-have anymore. It’s how operators protect availability, budgets, and their credibility with leadership.

MRO Demand Is Rising Faster Than Digital Adoption

With the continuation of aging fleets, MRO demand continues to climb. Industry analysis shows the global MRO market is expected to reach $156 billion, surpassing pre-2019 highs, while aircraft utilization is projected to increase 39% by 2035. That means more flying, more wear, and more maintenance work flowing into an already stretched system.

We’re seeing new independent MROs entering the market, OEMs expanding in-house capabilities, and operators launching their own MROs to control turnaround times and capture new revenue streams. But here’s where the tension shows up. Only about 6% of MROs have implemented digital tools at scale.

The rest are managing growing workloads with disconnected systems, manual workarounds, and institutional knowledge that’s hard to scale. That’s where burnout creeps in. That’s where margins erode.

The MROs that have invested in digital maturity are seeing the difference, from higher revenues and fewer inefficiencies to better control over workflow and parts planning. In 2026, digital capability won’t just support growth. It will determine who can handle demand without overwhelming their teams.

Data Is Finally Being Treated Like an Asset

One of the most encouraging shifts I’m seeing is how our customers are thinking about data and the dependency to change their business processes to achieve a clear and actionable data strategy. Our prospects choose Veryon because they see us as a partner for modern technology, but also for change management, as they typically must go through an operational transformation.

Commercial aviation has long leaned into predictive maintenance, largely driven by OEM platforms. Business aviation has lagged, but that gap is closing quickly. Operators and MROs are actively looking for ways to connect data into their maintenance systems and actually use it, not just report on it.

That shift in mindset is a real inflection point for the industry.

What 2026 Demands from its Technology Partners

The reality is pretty clear. Labor isn’t loosening up, parts aren’t suddenly getting easier to find, and fleets aren’t getting any younger. What can change is how intelligently we operate inside those constraints.

The operators and MROs that will pull ahead are the ones building a longer-term digital tech ops plan with the end result in mind. Forward-thinking MROs and operators are moving away from homegrown systems that don’t talk to each other and instead embracing secure, cloud-based platform strategies with a partner ecosystem who can deliver actionable insights and interoperability across their organization and fleet.

As a leading technology provider in this industry, Veryon is blazing a trail for our prospects and customers by providing the most intuitive suite of maintenance tracking, inventory, and repair management solutions, powered by Veryon AIRE, our data intelligence platform. Data insights flow through the experience; automation with AI-bots and workflow automation are inherent. Lastly, and maybe most importantly, our team is the right combination of aviation and software experts to ensure you address the right problems, realize the change, and ultimately see success.

As a software partner to the most innovative industry in the world – the aviation industry – don't we owe it to our market, prospects, and customers to be just as inventive and cutting-edge? And, doing it with an attitude of service and quality.

That’s my vision and promise, and what I believe 2026 demands from our industry. And it’s the work we’re committed to doing at Veryon.

Read the article on Aviation Pros here.