Aftermarket parts manufacturer Heico has jump-started sales of FAA-approved PMA replacement parts to airlines with a new agreement it signed with British Airways in early May. Heico, with its subsidiary Seal Dynamics (Hall 2B Stand L14D), will not only sell PMA parts to British Airways but will manage the airline’s PMA parts buying activities. Until it signed the agreement with Heico, British Airways had avoided using PMA parts, and many PMA manufacturers have spent years trying to crack open the PMA parts-buying door at the flag carrier.
PMA parts are replacement parts approved by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration made by entities other than the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) under FAA parts manufacturer approval regulations. Although the share of the parts market held by PMA manufacturers is slowly increasing, it remains relatively low in comparison to the number of parts sold into the aftermarket by OEMs. According to market-research firm AeroStrategy, PMA parts market penetration in 2006 was 2.1 percent of all airline parts deliveries. That number should nearly double by 2011, to 3.9 percent.
