At this year's Paris Air Show, the stories that made headlines were easy to spot—significant orders, bold new aircraft and a clear return to growth. But underneath the high-profile announcements, a quieter, equally important shift was taking place. In meetings, supply chain briefings and daily exchanges with airlines and OEMs, the message was clear: the expectations for how aviation supply chains operate have fundamentally changed.
Across dozens of discussions, five themes surfaced again and again. Each reflects a reset in what matters most when it comes to building resilient, future-ready supply partnerships in commercial aviation, defense and business aviation.
Partnerships Replace Transactional Models
The traditional model of sourcing parts and components from a broad roster of vendors is being reevaluated. What customers increasingly want are fewer, more integrated partners who bring not only required materials but also insight, reliability and delivery systems that support their operational strategies as a production partner.
A supplier's ability to understand a customer's full production environment, from lead times and logistics to inventory cycles and cost pressures, is becoming just as important as pricing or just-in-time delivery. Long-term value is now rooted in collaboration, not just cost.
This shift reflects a broader industry move toward tighter integration and strategic alignment on a focused approach to high-dollar engineered components to low-dollar high quantity parts. Suppliers who can co-develop planning strategies, help simplify the complex, mitigate upstream disruptions, and proactively contribute to production goals are becoming invaluable.
Collaboration and Data Transparency
If the past few years taught us anything, it's that aerospace supply chains are only as strong as their weakest link. Building resilience isn't just about redundancy. It's about connection.
Across stakeholders, there is growing recognition that timely, accurate data sharing enables better demand planning, quicker adjustments and fewer surprises. Forecast alignment is no longer a courtesy; it's a necessity. Without shared visibility into future needs, suppliers are left guessing, and that uncertainty creates friction, cost and risk.
It's important for organizations to moved toward real-time data integration tools and cloud-based platforms that improve end-to-end transparency. But just as important is the culture of trust that must underpin these tools. When partners operate with openness, they can make better decisions, faster.
Material Availability and Sourcing
One of the most consistent concerns voiced in Paris was the need for dependable access to materials, especially for hardware, chemicals and consumables with long lead times or limited sources.
With production rates increasing and inventory buffers still recovering from prior disruptions, confidence in a supplier's sourcing strategy has become a key selection criterion. Can they offer multiple pathways to a critical part? Do they have a global view of availability and risk? Are they investing in supplier development and dual-sourcing where needed?
Operations and procurement leaders are hyper focused on sourcing security while keeping an eye on price. They're asking whether their partners can scale with them, anticipate gaps and help secure continuity for the programs that matter most, both in the OEM and MRO delivery channels.
Production Ramp-Ups
Unlike the traditional distributor model, the commercial, defense and business aviation sectors are entering another phase of accelerated output. But readiness isn't about sitting on a warehouse of purchased parts with the anticipation that demand will come. Traditional speculation buying is unnecessarily taking up capacity that has impeded the industry's growth. Readiness today is about having the demand planning systems, customer partnerships (SIOP reviews), supplier development and supplier capacity plans in place to flex in response to real demand.
Conversations in Paris often focused on how suppliers were preparing for the next wave of rate increases. Those with robust forecasting processes, integrated capacity models and collaborative customer engagement are setting themselves apart.
This isn't just about avoiding shortages. It's about enabling confidence, giving OEMs and MROs the assurance that their partners can deliver, even as complexity and volume rise.
Innovation, Talent, and Sustainability
Finally, a theme that continues to gain traction is partners investing in innovation and talent to support the rate ramp-up, including digital and AI applications that will shape the future of the industry. Warehouse automation tools, RFID, automated guided warehouse vehicles, drones and smart devices enable the industry to know where inventory is across the globe and deliver to customers when needed.
At the end of the day, talent drives customer intimacy, and having the best people and internal programs to develop their skills and growth become key to retention and to driving high customer performance.
Customers want to understand how suppliers are reducing emissions, cutting waste and innovating toward a lower-carbon future. And they want action, not promises.
Whether it's through greener packaging, more efficient logistics or investing in sustainable materials, suppliers are being asked to show how their operations align with their customers' ESG commitments. In many cases, this is now a factor in winning business.
Looking Ahead
The conversations in Paris underscored a clear message: the aerospace supply chain is no longer a back-office function. It is a strategic differentiator.
As suppliers, we must evolve accordingly. Not only in how we operate, but in how we collaborate, communicate and create value. The expectations have changed, and for those ready to meet them, the opportunity is clear.
David Coleal is CEO of Incora, a supply chain management company formed from the merger of Wesco Aircraft and Pattonair. He previoulsy has held leadership roles at Bombardier and Spirit AeroSystems.