Aircraft
Aerospace Suppliers in for Uneven Recovery
While most Tier 1 OEMs carry the financial muscle to rebound quickly from the Covid pandemic, diversification proves key to long-term prospects.
Workers at Collins Aerospace's plant in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, assemble Super Diamond business class seats used in the Boeing 777 and 787 and the Airbus A350 and A330. Collins also enjoys strong positions in narrowbody programs such as the 737 Max, giving it the diversification it needs to emerge effectively from the pandemic. (Photo: Collins Aerospace)
Workers at Collins Aerospace's plant in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, assemble Super Diamond business class seats used in the Boeing 777 and 787 and the Airbus A350 and A330. Collins also enjoys strong positions in narrowbody programs such as the 737 Max, giving it the diversification it needs to emerge effectively from the pandemic. (Photo: Collins Aerospace)

One would be hard-pressed to overstate the effects of the Covid pandemic on the aerospace industry, but the level of impact has varied considerably between sectors and among individual suppliers. For example, as a general rule, larger companies fared better than smaller ones. Those that controlled enough resources to absorb 30 percent declines in revenues through spending cuts likely can look forward to a fairly strong recovery. For others—mainly the so-called Tier 2 and Tier 3 suppliers—the future might look less encouraging, particularly for those that depended on government support to stay afloat.