The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the International Airlines Technical Pool (IATP) have agreed to cooperate in helping airlines to improve their visibility of, and access to, aircraft parts.

This is timely given the constraints and costs of current failures in the aerospace supply chain. 

“Supply chain constraints continue to create operational and financial pressure for airlines. 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,” said Stuart Fox, IATA's Director, Flight and Technical Operations.

“For decades, IATP has enabled airlines to share critical technical resources through pooling. The validity of the IATP pool model is even more evident during the current critical situation. This cooperation with IATA recognises 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,” said Giorgio Pietra, IATP CEO.

The cooperation focuses on two priority areas:

Improving access to serviceable aircraft materials: Under the agreement, IATA and IATP will work together to help airlines address supply chain and technical operations challenges. This includes IATA support for IATP’s technical materials pooling programmes, giving airlines access to shared parts, equipment, and maintenance capabilities. IATA’s MRO SmartHub complements this by improving the visibility and valuation of available parts.

Strengthening technical, safety, and quality cooperation: IATA and IATP will intensify their exchange of technical expertise and best practices in technical operations, safety, and quality assurance.

These will include relevant IATA programmes and guidance materials such as the IATA Operational Safety Audit Programme (IOSA), and IATA Safety Connect community channel.

Broader Access to MRO SmartHub

This cooperation complements an additional effort by IATA to help airlines’ operational resilience.

IATA will make the core features of IATA’s MRO SmartHub available at no cost for airlines through a data participation programme.

The initiative is initially open to eligible airlines from participating associations, including IATA, IATP, and ALTA, and may be expanded over time.

“Improving visibility of available aircraft materials is essential to helping airlines manage today’s supply chain challenges. Broader access to MRO SmartHub will help airlines identify serviceable parts more efficiently, support better materials management, and complement existing industry pooling programmes,” said Fox.

MRO SmartHub was launched in 2019 and has recently been upgraded.

The enhanced platform provides deeper analytics on materials availability, usage patterns, and parts shortages.

It also helps airlines identify confirmed serviceable inventories from accredited suppliers, supporting more efficient materials planning and procurement workflows.

Greater use of MRO SmartHub is expected to strengthen airline materials management and facilitate more effective participation in IATP pooling programmes.

IATP Technical Pooling

IATP’s technical pooling model enables airlines to share critical resources, such as aircraft parts, equipment, and maintenance services, to support day-to-day operations and respond to supply chain disruptions.

Its network gives members access to more than 6,600 parts across 350 stations, line maintenance support at more than 900 locations, and worldwide aircraft recovery coverage.

“These capabilities help airlines maintain fleet availability, reduce costs, and maintain operational continuity in an increasingly challenging operating environment,” said Essam Hanafy, IATP Chairman and Custodian. -TradeArabia News Service