Engine Stand Utilization Report: How Middle East Conflict is Impacting Stand Usage
Key Highlights
- Airspace closures and rerouted flights increase engine fatigue and wear, leading to more frequent maintenance and advanced restoration needs.
- Stranded aircraft in harsh environments require costly preservation and maintenance, with limited access and high freight costs prolonging repair times.
- Rising jet fuel prices, driven by geopolitical tensions and market volatility, are forcing airlines to adjust schedules and maintenance strategies to manage costs.
- Disruptions in spare parts logistics, including increased shipping costs and delayed deliveries, extend maintenance turnaround times and elevate operational expenses.
When compared with data from January and February, engine stand utilization is showing a notable decline in March 2026.
According to EngineStands.com, the decline is happening across the majority of platforms and resulting from operational disruptions throughout the aviation sector. The largest driving factor in this decline is the ongoing conflict in Iran, with challenges spreading across the Middle East.
This is causing constraints in areas like:
- Maintenance planning
- Asset mobility
- Logistics
EngineStands.com explains, “Before the conflict, engine maintenance was already in a “near-perfect storm,” with pent-up demand, GTF powder-metal inspections, LEAP durability issues and spare-parts shortages of 10 to 20%.”
As EngineStands.com has a warehouse located in this region, the company has noted impacts on both stand availability and repositioning.
To take these anomalies into account, this month’s report focuses on the factors impacting global engine maintenance activity and engine stand utilization.
How changing MRO capacity is affecting engine maintenance
With MRO capacity in Middle East maintenance hubs disrupted by the conflict, engines are often traveling farther for maintenance. This creates issues like:
- More complex handling
- Lower efficiency
- Higher global MRO demand
EngineStands.com says, “As a result, MRO activity is currently reconsolidating in lower-risk locations like Turkey and Saudi Arabia, creating significant backlogs and pushing engine overhaul wait times into 2027.”
Airlines are responding to this by:
- Adopting emergency scheduling
- Repositioning fleets
- Conducting on-wing maintenance during unplanned groundings
However, even with these pivots, efficiency is still impacted by limited hangar space and AMT labor shortages.
How airspace closures and reroutes contribute to engine wear
As missile and drone activity has proceeded throughout the conflict, airspace has closed across areas like:
- Iran
- Iraq
- Kuwait
- Syria
There are also airspace restrictions in places like:
- Bahrain
- The UAE
- Qatar
Aviation hubs in the central Middle East have also been affected, with sporadic disruptions in:
- Dubai
- Abu Dhabi
- Doha
To respond to these challenges, airlines have rerouted flights, often adding 90-120 minutes to each flight. This has caused an uptick in fuel burn and, in turn, stress on engines.
When engines fly on longer routes, their rotating parts experience more fatigue, and hot section components take on more wear. This is largely due to:
- Accelerated Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT) margin deterioration
- Advanced performance restoration needs
- More intense thermal stress
Additionally, some rerouted planes are now traveling through regions with desert-like environments, causing more rapid instances of:
- Turbine blade erosion
- Cooling hole blockages
- Component life reductions
How stranded aircraft accelerate demand for engine maintenance
With more aircraft being stranded in locations with harsh environments, they’re still requiring maintenance without generating any revenue for operators.
Key limits to recovering engines that are left in the Middle East with their aircraft include:
- Restricted access
- High freight costs
- Operational constraints
For example, an engine’s OEM typically sets the conditions they need to be preserved, such as:
- Humidity control
- Inspection frequency
- Preservation procedures
Whether the engine is operating or not, these activities present monthly costs to operators. This is causing the need for airlines to replace engines more frequently.
An EngineStands.com report says, “With global supply tight, monthly lease costs for modern engines have reached record levels, often exceeding $180,000–$200,000 per engine, with spot rates even higher.”
The report continues, “This creates a sustained period of dual expenditure as operators fund both the leased replacement engine and the engine undergoing maintenance. Under normal conditions, this overlap is limited to the shop visit turnaround time of around 100 days, but ongoing regional disruption has made it open-ended.”
When airlines can recover a stranded engine, they often still have to pay higher costs than normal to return the engine to service due to increased shipment costs resulting from:
- Limited capacity
- High fuel prices
- Disrupted distribution networks
“Limited availability of OEM-certified engine stands can add several days to over a week to scheduling, increasing coordination costs,” notes the EngineStands.com report.
The report adds, “Preservation has become a prolonged and capital-intensive state. Airlines are effectively paying for two engines to perform the role of one, with one immobilized in the MRO system and another leased at peak market rates.”
To slow wear, some engines on stored aircraft are removed from active cycles. However, this introduces risks, such as:
- Corrosion
- Seal degradation
- Performance uncertainty when returned to service
How increased fuel prices impact operations and engine maintenance strategies
Another key challenge persisting throughout the conflict is the ongoing rise of jet fuel prices, which is a threat even amid talks of ceasefire.
Surges in fuel prices across the globe are being caused by:
- Geopolitical tensions
- Supply constraints
- Energy market volatility
According to EngineStands.com, “Aviation, where fuel accounts for roughly 20–35% of operating costs, is particularly affected. Last week, the benchmark European jet fuel price hit an all-time high of $1,838 per ton, compared with $831 before the war began.”
To respond, airlines are taking steps like:
- Cutting schedules
- Adjusting prices
- Changing maintenance strategies
For example, reports from EngineStands.com note, “Operators are extending time on wing by deferring non-critical shop visits to preserve liquidity. However, even minor drops in engine efficiency now drive disproportionately higher fuel costs.”
The report adds, “Rerouted operations, which often add two hours to long-haul sectors, increase fuel burn by roughly 20% while exposing carriers to 80–100% higher fuel prices.”
How spare parts logistics and the supply chain factor in
EngineStands.com experts share, “Conflict-driven disruptions have cut global air cargo capacity by over 20%, with thousands of flight cancellations delaying or rerouting spare parts through hubs like Dubai and Doha.”
They continue, “Shipping costs have surged, and limited access through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed global logistics. For example, moving a replacement LEAP-1A engine now costs roughly 400% more than it did in January 2026.”
When parts distribution and logistics are disrupted, AOG events last longer as maintenance schedules experience delays.
As noted in a report from EngineStands.com, “Minor issues that once took 48 hours now take weeks due to frozen logistics chains.”
